Secrets And Lies
by lunastars
Summary: Before TFATF - A young girl reluctantly helps to get Dom set up, and after he's released on bail she's shocked to find that he's willing to accept her into his life. With trying to make it up to Dom and his family while juggling her life and problems, Harper tries not to breakdown and let her secrets spill over.
1. Chapter 1

**This is before the first film and it has Dom, Vince, Mia, Jesse and Leon. Dom and Vince are both 21, Leon is 19, Jesse is 19 and Mia is 17 :) this is also before the team started hijacking trucks and all that business.**

* * *

I walked numbly over to the diner. What the fuck was I doing? I tried to distract myself as I walked, anything to stop me from questioning my motives. I fixed my pigtails then readjusted my clothes as I stepped closer to my destination.

"Can I help you?" A young girl behind the counter asked.

I sat down at the counter. "Can I just have a cola, please?"

"Sure thing," she said happily.

I studied her while she went to pour my drink. I figured she'd have to be Mia Toretto, Dom's little sister. She looked young, innocent.

"Here you go," she said as she placed it in front of me. "Oh, you didn't want ice, did you?"

"No, it's fine as it is, thank you." I passed her the correct amount of money.

She happily took it from my hand and placed it in a cash register. I sat quietly and drank my drink while she took a seat and flicked through a magazine.

Almost half an hour later, when my drink was almost empty, two guys walked through the entrance. One I recognised as Dom. The other was just as tall as Dom but his muscles weren't as big. He also had hair unlike Dom and the starts of a scruffy beard.

"Vince, don't!" Mia protested as the other guy came round the counter and grabbed a bear.

"Too late," he said as he took a sip.

"You're paying for that!"

He kissed the top of her head and sat down beside her. "We both know that's not true."

"Don't worry I'll get money off your ass when we next wager," Dom laughed.

"Should we be talking about that kind of thing in front of company?" Vince asked.

Dom looked over at me before taking the seat next to mine. "What do you think about the police?"

I shrugged. "I don't like them much."

"How much is much?"

"I hate them, OK?" I told him. "Never been a fan, even when I was a kid."

"You're still a kid," Vince commented.

I looked down at myself. I was wearing a pair of three quarter length jeans, a stripy t-shirt and plimsoles. "How old do I look?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "About seventeen?"

"So what does a kid like you have to do to hate the police?" Dom asked.

I shrugged. "Just a bunch of small things, street racing mostly."

"You race?" Vince asked, a little in shock.

"Yeah," I said happily. "I'm assuming you boys know about that world then."

"Yeah, we-"

"So I'm assuming you boys have also heard about those robberies at those garages?" I shuffled over so that I was closer to them and right in front of Vince.

"We heard a lot about them," Dom said cautiously. "We know a lot about them too, you hear a lot about them in the racing world. Everybody knows everything down there."

I coughed before any of them could say more. Three strong coughs. Mia looked concerned and passed me a bottle of water. I took it from her but then placed it onto the counter. I jumped down from my seat and backed away from them.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, holding my hands in the air.

"What the...?" Vince asked.

Suddenly the police entered. One of them shouted that Dom was under arrest as he cuffed him before telling Dom his rights. As he was carted off to the police car he looked at me. My heart stopped when I saw his expression. I expected anger, maybe even disgust but what I got was a look of disappointment. I followed them till he was put inside the car. I stayed stood in the open.

"Come on, Mia," I heard Vince say.

When I turned around I saw him leading Mia out. They locked the diner up and made their way over to a Maxima. I watched as they drove away.

"You're so full of shit, Crowley!" I shouted as I shoved the near by cop.

"I could get you on assault," he smirked.

"Fuck you," I shouted as I ripped the wire out from under my shirt. "You told me a pack of lies. I thought they were violent criminals who would do anything to get what they wanted! We both know that's bull, they're a family, man."

"Yet you still gave us the signal."

I smirked. "Yeah, probably the best move I made."

"What are you talking about?" he questioned.

"Think back over what you heard over the radios," I started. "They bet, but who doesn't? They said they knew about the race world but they never said they raced. They said they knew information about the robberies but they never said they were involved. It's not a crime to know about these things, they never stated how much they knew. You have nothing, Crowley, he'll walk."

"You bitch," he spat.

"I knew you couldn't resist sending your men in if I gave you the signal," I explained. "So, you gonna arrest me?"

Suddenly his cocky grin was back. "We didn't have shit on you, we don't give damn about local thefts. We told you we had something on you so we could get a bigger target."

I stood, shocked. I couldn't believe that I had been tricked in order to set up Dom. I had been so worried about being arrested again that I agreed to help the people I hated.

I shoved past Crowley and got into my car. I didn't look back as I drove off. Once I was at a good steady speed I sorted myself out. I took my hair down and messed it up. I then went back to driving till I stopped at the station.

When I got out I lifted my t-shirt off so I was only wearing a vest top. I then reached up under my shirt to unwrap the bandages that kept my breasts closed in. After which I pulled off the jeans to reveal a pair of denim short shorts. I threw everything into the car and locked up.

I walked straight into the station and went over to the front desk. "I'm here to see Dominic Toretto."

"I don't know if..."

"Look, how the hell is he supposed to get his bail paid if you won't let people in to see him?"

"How do you know he can get out on bail?" he questioned.

"Do I look stupid to you? Now let me through to see him."

He gulped. "Just go through that way," he said as he pointed to a door. "I'll let the cops know you're coming."

I smiled politely and walked through the door. The cops I met questioned me, patted me down and then let me trough to the cells.

They were surprisingly empty. There was a drunk guy in one, a girl who looked seriously pissed off in another and then Dom. I went and stood in front of his cell.

He looked up from his place on the bed. "Who the hell are you?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled my hair into two ponytails. "Imagine me with jeans, a t-shirt and smaller boobs."

"You're the girl from the diner," he said in shock as he got up. "You set me up."

I took my hair down again as he came closer. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I had no choice."

He leaned on the horizontal bars. "You always have a choice."

"As far as I was concerned I didn't, I couldn't afford to get arrested again."

"Why would they arrest you?" he questioned.

"I've robbed a few places, nothing big, local small time places... Crowley, a cop, said they had something on me and if I didn't help you get sent down then I'd be arrested... Turns out they had nothing on me."

"Yeah, cops lie."

"I know that, but I couldn't take the risk. I steal for essentials, that's it. No where will higher me and the money I do get is from racing. After paying bills and other important things there's not much left. On occasion I need to lower myself to extreme measures."

Dom eyed me. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen, I'll be twenty in a couple of months."

"You said you were seventeen," he accused.

"No, Vince assumed I was, I never corrected him is all," I shrugged "Plus the cops knew if I seemed young you guys would open up sooner."

"They weren't wrong," he sighed.

"Do you have a ride home?" I asked.

"I need to pay bail first," he said.

"I'll sort that," I said simply. "So, do you?"

"You don't need to do that," he said quickly.

"Yes I do, now answer the damn question."

"Fine, no I don't."

"Good, I'll be waiting out front. The black '67 Chevy Impala, alright?"

He nodded as I turned and walked away. I made sure to pay his bail money before I walked out of the station. I opened up my car door and waited inside for Dom. A good twenty minutes later he stepped out. He surveyed the car park before spotting me and coming over. He entered the car then sighed.

"Thought you weren't coming," I smiled.

"You know what the cops are like," he smiled back.

"I'm Harper by the way," I said.

"Nice to meet you," he said, and I was happy to see it was genuine.

"Where to?"

"Just drive," he instructed. "I'll give you directions on the way."

I just shrugged and drove away from the station. It was weird to drive like this, not knowing where I was going and having to rely on someone else, I hadn't done that in a while. We had been driving for a good twenty minutes when Dom's phone rang.

"Hello," he said. "No listen, I'm out and I'm on my way back. Just keep everyone in check."

He said a swift goodbye before hanging up. I tried not to talk to him or look at him for the remainder of the drive, and luckily there wasn't long before we reached our destination.

"Come in and get a drink," he ordered as he got out. "We need to talk."

"Shit," I mumbled as I got out of the car.

When I did a group of people came out. Mia and Vince were in front while two guys were behind. I knew that they could only be Jesse and Leon but I wasn't sure who was who. I was only given names, the only one I knew by face as well was Dom.

I went to speak but I saw Vince coming closer. He had no trouble in recognising me in my new get up. He looked seriously pissed off but I held my ground. Just as he got closer the unexpected happened. Dom stood in front of me and blocked me with his giant body.

"Back down, V," he warned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Five posistive and iterested reviews so far! I hope I don't dissapoint with this story. Your feedback is always welcome (:**

* * *

"What do you mean by that Dom?"

"Exactly what I said," he almost growled. "Now back off and go back inside. I'm hungry."

"I don't care, die of starvation," Vince said seriously. "No way she's coming in."

"I already invited her."

"It's cool, I'll just go," I said quietly.

"No, we need to talk," Dom said. "You'll get used to Vince. Come on."

He grabbed my hand and led me pass Vince before I could say anything. I noticed Vince closed his eyes and breathed deeply. As we got closer to the house I saw Mia was smiling slightly but Jesse and Leon looked confused.

"Home sweet home," Dom said as we got inside.

I looked round, it was simple yet cosy. The colours around the room were pretty plain but I noticed family photos on the walls which made it stand out.

"It's not much," Mia whispered.

"Trust me, after living in a one bedroom flat in a bad part of LA this is like a castle," I said in awe. "It's beautiful."

"I wouldn't call it that," Dom said as he sat down on the couch.

"I would," I said confidently.

"Who is this chick?"

"That's Leon," Dom sighed.

"First, don't call me a chick. And second, did you hear about what happened this morning?"

Leon nodded. "What about it?"

The one who could only be Jesse gasped. "You're the girl who set Dom up!"

"What the fuck is she doing here, Dom?" Leon demanded.

"See, brother," Vince stated from the doorway. "Leon don't want her here either."

"Well its my house," Dom said simply. "And she's my guest. Like I've said, I want to talk to her about what happened."

"Dom its not not worth the hassle," I said gently. "We can talk another time, another place."

"The hell it is," he said. "Come on, sit down." I quietly sat down and then he continued. "That's Jesse by the way. Each of these guys are harmless, they're just pissed off, which they shouldn't be."

"Why shouldn't we be?" Leon questioned.

"Because she set _me _up, not you guys," he said simply. "She had no choice and she kind of helped I guess. Plus, I'm going to deal with what she did my way."

"Dealing with it your own way?" I asked. I couldn't help but sound a little afraid.

"Yeah, you owe me big time."

"What do you want from me?"

"Well, you can pay it off in a conventional way, work at my diner with Mia," he said simply. "You'll get no pay whatsoever but I won't be too harsh with the hours. Outside of that I want you to run errands for me."

I thought about it for a moment. The no pay job at the diner put me off at first, working there would give me less time to get money other ways but when he said he wouldn't be harsh on hours it changed my mind. I could easily work out enough hours to get his forgiveness while still having enough free hours to keep myself going. The only thing that still bothered me were the errands but I tried to push it to the back of my mind.

"Sounds good," I nodded. "But the errands...?"

He seemed to understand where I was going. "Nothing illegal. You can say no any time."

I nodded as I looked around the room. I spotted a pad and pen on small table next to the armchair. I grabbed it and wrote my number down. "Well, call me with more information."

I went to leave after giving him the paper but he called me back. "Stay with us for a little bit, OK?"

"Why would you want me to?" I questioned.

"Mia has to work with you and we'll probably see you around a lot," he shrugged. "Best we all get to know each other."

I sat down on the couch, Jesse sat down next to me. "She seems alright to me."

"Yeah, if Dom's happy with all this then so am I," Mia said quietly.

Leon and Vince both looked at each other before sitting down. "So how come you didn't have a choice?" Leon asked.

I went on to explain the same thing I told Dom at the station. I noticed that Mia gasped at my money problems. I explained that I wasn't the best racer and I laid low for a while between races so that's why I stole. Money was tighter most weeks.

Once I finished my story I started to tell the team my name and real age. As they started asking questions Mia slipped away and then rejoined us with a tray of drinks. She passed them all out before sitting with her own.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Harper is a pretty name," Jesse mumbled. "Very unusual."

"Nice to know unusual is good," I smiled at him. "I'm glad you like it."

He blushed slightly and looked awkwardly down at his drink.

"I still don't like her being here," Vince said.

"Ignore him," Mia said to me. "Talking about working in the diner..."

"What about it?"

"When can you work?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Any day of the week. But I'd like to have some time to myself..."

"Well our hours aren't that long anyway," Mia smiled. "You ever work in a diner before?"

"Nope," I said honestly. "But I can make a mean sandwich."

Mia grinned at me. "Well talking about food, I'm going to make us all some lunch." As she got up and headed to the kitchen she look over at me. "You'll stay for lunch, right?"

I nodded awkwardly. "Sure, if that's no problem..."

She smiled as she went to the kitchen. Almost as soon as she was gone Leon blurted out, "how did you hide that body?" As soon as the words were out he put a hand over his mouth. Vince must have explain in even more detail what I looked like when I came into the diner.

I tried not to laugh as I spoke. "I covered myself up as much as possible, then I put bandages around my boobs and tied my hair in pigtails."

"She's not subtle is she?" Leon asked.

"I like it!" Jesse said excitedly. "I mean it takes balls to do that to Dom and she paid his bail, well I'm assuming she did because Dom didn't have cash on him and none of us paid it. Also it shows she's a badass and not closed minded, you need to be open minded to be able to make people believe you're younger than you are. It takes talent to, she seems talented and-"

"Jess," Dom said quickly. "Calm down, buddy."

"Yeah, man," Leon said gently. "Let's go for a walk."

Jesse smiled awkwardly at me before following Leon outside. I looked at the door long after it closed.

"Is he OK?" I knew I probably would never be close with these people, to be friends would be lucky, but what just happened worried me slightly.

"He has ADHD," Dom explained. "He gets a little excited."

"He looked really awkward about it..."

"Of course he did," Vince mumbled. "He was embarrassed."

"He shouldn't be," I said simply. "It's who he is."

"I'm feeling more happy that I delt with what happened in a clam way rather than kick your ass," Dom laughed.

"Hey, you're only glad 'cause I'd win," I teased. I took a chance there.

"I don't get you," Vince said suddenly. "She still set you up."

"Hey, we both know what it's like to feel like you have nothing. We felt like that at some point, don't you wish someone gave us a chance?"

Vince just shrugged and left, the annoyed expression still on his face. From the smile on Dom's I could tell he had gotten through to Vince.

"So, how long does my 'chance' last for?"

He shrugged, lost in thought. "Depends. It could go well and you could gain my trust. Or on the other hand this might not work out. I may actually have to kick your ass."

"Guess, I better do a good job," I chuckled. "But to help a little... I'm going to go and check on Jesse."

I got up from my seat and slipped outside before Dom could say anything. I wandered over to the edge of the grass where Leon and Jesse were sat. I watched them for a moment. Jesse looked small next to Leon but both seemed comfortable with each other.

"Is this patch of grass taken?" I asked as I poked the space next to Jesse with my foot.

He looked up. "Oh, no, its not."

I sat down quietly. I soon started picking at the grass and Jesse looked ahead. I noticed that Leon was watching his friend. He seemed slightly worried but it was different, like he was used to it.

"Was there anything important you wanted to say before Dom cut you off?" I asked Jesse.

"Huh?" he looked at me in confusion.

"You were on a roll," I smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he mumbled.

"Don't be," I said reassuringly.

He smiled widely at me but it stopped when I kissed his cheek. He touched his cheek lightly before smiling again. I don't know what brought me to do it. There was something about Jesse. No matter what the situation was I couldn't bring myself to not be nice to him.

"Don't be sorry for who you are, Jess, OK?"

He didn't say anything, just gave me a quick hug. That was unexpected, more than unexpected. It felt real and genuine, I hoped the rest of the team took to me. It would make this whole thing a lot easier. He then announced that he was going back inside to help and disappeared.

I laid back on the grass and smiled up at the sky. I'd screwed up a lot but I had made Jesse smile. I kept thinking about how happy he seemed.

"You're a good person," Leon whispered.

I turned to look at him. "No I'm not."

"Really? Because that was really nice what you just did," he said.

"That might just be a one off," I said simply.

"No, it's not a one off," Leon said with confidence. "Dom sees good in you."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"You wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Do you really not want me here?" I asked suddenly, I couldn't help myself.

"After what you did with Jess, I don't mind seeing you around."

"What about Vince?" I asked as I sat up.

Leon laughed loudly as he edged closer to me. "Don't worry, old coyote will calm down soon enough."

"Well if there are any more issues I'll make it up to Dom a different way."

"Don't take Vince into account," Leon warned.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," I laughed.

"How bad is it where you live?"

"I hear gunshots every night," I said without emotion. "Well, most nights."

"Why don't you move?"

"I have money problems, remember?"

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Don't be," I said. "I'm happy. It's rough sometimes but I'm alive so I'm happy."

"You might just fit in here," he whispered.

Neither of us said anything. Just leaned back on our arms and looked around. The street was nice, you could tell that it wasn't a white picket fence kind of place but it was still nice.

Leon soon started to whistle a song and I smiled. I listened to him whistling while we sat. It was weird how comfortable I felt around complete strangers. It was scary as hell but that made it fun which made it comfortable. It's funny how things work out isn't it?


	3. Chapter 3

I'd be kind if I said lunch wasn't awkward but unfortunately it was. I felt sorry for poor Mia, she kept trying to keep conversations going and make everything less awkward. Dom irritated me more than anyone, he just sat back with a huge grin on his face. Jesse and Leon didn't seem to pay attention, I almost wish they would. But Vince, Vince wouldn't stop. He was still angry. He made constant snappy comments.

After lunch I made no hesitation in offering to help with the dishes. I washed, Mia dried. It did enough to take my mind off of things for a while. It helped me to avoid the rest of the team who were in the living room.

"Don't worry about Vince."

I looked over at Mia, she was watching me. "I don't blame him."

"Just tell him to get lost," she chuckled.

"Look," I said, a little harsher than I meant to. "I owe Dom, I should never have set him up. I always pay my dues. But once I feel I've made it up to him then I'm gone."

She smiled sadly. "You do realise he probably doesn't want you to make it up to him?"

"What makes you say that?"

"He's my brother," she shrugged. "I just think he sees something in you. No one would have had the balls to set him up. I mean, you knew about him before hand, right?"

"Yeah, well, they gave me the basic profile then filled me in on some lies," I explained. "I got some word off the street about him but I didn't want to poke around too much."

"I thought you wore a disguise, surely it wouldn't matter?"

I shrugged. "Didn't want to risk it. I didn't even want to do it."

"I know that," she whispered. "You wouldn't have bailed him out if you wanted to do it."

I realised there were no more dishes so I dried my hands. I set the tea towel down on the side before turning to Mia. "I'm sorry, I'm gonna go. I don't think I'm gonna be around much except y'know, when I have to be."

I left the kitchen before Mia could say anything. I walked through the living room, being careful to climb over Jesse and Leon's feet. I continued to walk, only pausing to look at Dom. I gave him a look to let him know that I would be coming back. He just smiled.

When I got outside I jogged over to my car. I got inside and sat quietly. I patted the dashboard with a smile before I turned the engine on. I took one last look at the house before I drove off.

As I drove I thought about what Mia had said. If Dom really wasn't bothered about me making it up to him then why was I here? How long would I have to do all this? If I left early, when I wanted to, but Dom really did want me to make it up to him then things could get ugly. But if Mia was right, if Dom really doesn't care and I stay, then when would I leave? Never?

By time I managed to push thoughts of Dom and his family out of my mind I arrived at the garage. I opened it up then got back into the car to park it inside. As I closed the door, I sighed. I hugged myself and started to walk the five minute walk to my apartment.

As I walked I asked myself the same question I did whenever I made this walk; Why did I pick a garage so far away and not right next door? And I always answered the same way. Because I didn't want my baby to get stolen. Still, I couldn't help but wonder how much easier it would be to park my car next to my place and just walk a few steps to the front door.

When I made it to the house I looked around before I went in. As soon as I got in I flicked on the hall light. I locked the door, making sure to add the extra chains. I always locked it up better when I was inside. Better to have it broken into while it's empty rather than when I'm in it.

I went through to the living room and kitchen area, I looked around, everything seemed fine. I checked the windows and made sure they were locked. The next room I went into was my bedroom. I looked around the entire room and then checked the windows. The last room was the bathroom. After I checked that I went to the toilet.

I didn't normally check the entire place like that. It would be crystal clear if someone had broken in. The only reason I did it now is because I knew Crowley would be pissed at me, God knows what he'd do to get back, I just let the biggest catch in LA get away. On top of that I owed some money from a race I lost at. I had it now but just hadn't gotten round to paying it. I would have to do that tomorrow.

I sat down on the dusty two seater and put my feet up on the coffee table. I reached over and turned the radio on before settling properly. It was still early and I was stuck in my poxy apartment. I looked longingly at the TV, it had been broken for three weeks now, I didn't have the money to fix it or get a new one.

I sighed and gave up with just sitting there. I made my way over to where the fridge was. I opened it up and groaned at the measly contents. I had half a carton of milk, three take away meals, butter, cheese and a yogurt which I'm sure was out of date. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the butter before closing the fridge. I took the half loaf of bread I had and put two slices of it in the toaster.

I wasn't even hungry, so using that food was probably a big mistake but I was bored. I ate it all though, I'd learned if you don't want to reheat it then eat it all the first time. I sighed as I sat on the floor in front of the coffee table. I pushed the crumbs to one side of the plate with my finger.

I looked down at my phone as it started to buzz. "Hello?" I asked as I picked up.

"Just checking to see if you gave me a fake number or not."

"What do you want, Dom?"

"Nice to speak to you too," he chuckled.

"Seriously? What do you want?"

He was silent for a moment, I seriously considered hanging up. "Are you OK?"

I think I snapped at that point. "Well, I have a TV that doesn't work, only a two piece couch in my living room, a tiny bedroom and oh let's say seven objects in my fridge, three of those being take away food. On top of that I have to take a five minute walk just to get from my car to my apartment and I need to pay some guy his money before he breaks into my place. So if that sounds like I'm OK then yeah, I'm OK."

He was silent again for a moment. "You need to move."

"Thanks, Captain obvious," I muttered. "As soon as you find away to pull money out of thin air then let me know, yeah?"

"Come on," he whispered. "I'm being serious. Isn't there anywhere else you can go?"

I closed my eyes. "No, Dom, no there isn't."

"After you pay this guy, how much will you have left?" he asked.

"Well, I just paid my rent so I guess around two hundred dollars if that."

"Shit," he breathed out. "But I guess it sounds bad to me because I have more than just my own mouth to feed."

"Yeah, it's only lonely when there's one of you," I admitted. "Everything else is alright apart from that."

"You can always come over here whenever you get like that."

"No, it's cool," I sighed. "With the stuff I'll be doing for you I'll be out the house more often than usual. I probably won't even notice."

"It's only four," he pointed out.

"Almost five," I corrected.

He chuckled. "Well, why don't you come back over here for a bit?"

"I don't know..."

"Come on," he begged. "I'll keep Vince on a tight leash."

"You're making it hard for me to resist, Toretto," I laughed.

"I'll call you every five seconds if you don't come, and if you turn off your phone I'll find where you live and I won't stop knocking on your door till you come."

I rolled my eyes. Something was telling me that he was being serious. "Dammit. Fine, I'll be over soon, don't get your panties in a bunch."

I swear I heard him gasp but I hung up the phone before I could be sure. I leaned back against the two seater for a few moments before I got up. I put my plate in the sink before going to change and freshen up.


	4. Chapter 4

When I arrived at the Toretto's there were some new people there I had never seen before. I walked in to see the regular team but there were also two new people. Dom introduced them to me as his friend Hector and Hector's right hand man Carlos. Both of them nodded politely in my direction as I smiled.

I sat quietly on the couch where Jesse sat in front of me on the floor and Leon sat beside me. I made no movements or sound while Dom spoke with Hector and Carlos. I didn't want to interrupt them. Leon constantly looked over at me and Jesse constantly looked up to see if I was OK, both seemed unsure about why I was being so still. It made me slightly uncomfortable that they seemed to care.

"She gonna be there?" Hector asked, motioning to where I sat.

Dom looked over his shoulder at me. "If she wants to."

"If there is one tonight," he started. "She gonna take part?"

"I doubt it, but if things change..."

"Yeah, yeah, you'll let me know."

With that both Hector and Carlos left. I couldn't help but notice that they both looked over at me as they did so. I wondered what their little conversation had meant. I still waited quietly for Dom to settle then for Mia to come in. She handed out drinks and I spoke for the first time to thank her. Once I took a sip, I rested my drink on the small table next to the couch.

"Where am I gonna be?" I asked.

Dom looked over at me. He was silent for a few moments. "There _might _be a race tonight. I highly doubt it if I'm honest, but he wanted to know if you'll be there."

"I could swing by," I commented.

"You race?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, but I haven't for a while," I explained.

"Well, if you change your mind we'll work something out," Dom shrugged. "But no matter what, you coming to the party?"

"Tonight?"

Leon grinned. "We always have one after the races. The parties always longer if there's no race."

I smiled. "I'm not one to miss a party."

"Oh, yay!" Mia said excitedly as she clapped her hands together.

"What makes you think you're going?" Dom asked, eyebrows raised.

"Dom!" Mia sulked. "Don't. I should be allowed to go just like everybody else."

"You're underage," Vince commented.

"So is Leon, Jesse and Harper!"

"Hey, babe," Leon chuckled. "Don't involve us."

"And they're only a year or two under," Vince smiled. "You're what...?"

"Don't," Mia mumbled.

Dom reached over and kissed her cheek. "I'm only messing, but you know the rules."

"You suck," she whispered but recited the rules. "I can drink but when you say enough then it's enough, no going off on my own, stay where one of you can see me and cover up as much as possible."

"Yeah," Leon laughed. "Unlike last time."

"What happened last time?" I asked curiously.

"She wore a dress," Jesse started. "That was so short if she bent over you would see everything. It was also low cut, but it was kind of cute."

"Yeah," Dom muttered. "I'm sure that's all those guys thought, cute."

"Don't get jealous just because I had more offers than you did," Mia said while sticking her tongue out.

"Oh, very mature."

"It wasn't just that," Vince smiled. "She decided to sneak out back where none of us were, then she got drunk and decided to throw up everywhere."

"Thanks guys," Mia muttered. "See it sucks. I'm the youngest and I'm the only girl, both of those make me a target for teasing."

"Yeah, you lot shouldn't be so cruel," I smiled.

Jesse put his head back. It rested lightly against my legs as he looked up at me. "We're not that bad."

"Sure, Jess," I chuckled as I ran my fingers through his hair.

He smiled up at me as he went to say something but Dom spoke first. "Well I was gonna head out and sort some things out if there is a race."

"I'm with you on that," Vince announced. "I need to fix my car if I might be racing tonight."

"Anyone else coming?"

"I'm not racing," Leon sighed. "So I'll stay here."

"Neither am I, and if I go with you I'll get roped into doing more work than need be," Jesse rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming you girls don't wanna go?" Dom asked. I looked at Mia and we both shook our heads. "Well it's not that late, we should be back before ten."

"And don't panic if we're not, if there's a race then wait, we need to go together. If it's just a party tonight just get everything ready for when people arrive, don't panic," Leon sighed. "Yeah, yeah, we know."

Dom and Vince both rolled their eyes before saying goodbye and leaving. I sat quietly, watching the others move. First Mia excused herself and went upstairs to sort out an outfit for tonight. Then Leon moved over and stretched out so that his feet were next to me. It was only Jesse who didn't move.

He had only moved to put his head back again. I ran my fingers through his hair again but this time I kept doing it. He just smiled, his eyes closing every so often.

"You don't have to stay," Leon said.

"Don't kick her out!" Jesse said urgently.

"I'm not. I'm just saying, if she doesn't feel comfortable then she doesn't have to stay."

"I don't fancy going back home just yet."

"That bad?" Jesse whispered.

I yawned. "Sure, and it's boring."

"Don't you have any friends?" Leon asked.

"Not around here," I shrugged.

"You have us," Jesse smiled.

I stopped running my hands through his hairs and moved them away. "Yeah."

"Or not," Leon muttered.

"Leon," I whispered.

"No," he said while sitting up straight. "It's cool."

"All I mean is I don't know you all that well," I whispered. "I only met you today."

"Well we're annoying for starters," Leon smirked as he threw a cushion at me.

"Hey!" I shouted as I grabbed it and threw it back.

Let's say that led to a massive fight. We threw cushions at each other and hid behind whatever was big enough. Eventually, Jesse got involved and all hell broke lose. Between the shouts, laughter and banging I was shocked that Mia never came down.

I had to admit it was the most fun I'd had in a long time. I hadn't been close to anyone since I was little so I found it hard to open up to anyone. Even so I seemed to be getting on with the Toretto family incredibly well. It scared me but at the same time it thrilled me.

* * *

I had decided to go home for a little bit just to change. Dom had been right, there ended up being no race but there was a party. I left around quarter to ten and the party hadn't even begun to start. I wondered when it would.

When I got back I shuffled through my clothes till I found something suitable. I chose my black tight fitting jeans, with a lose fitting white tank top. Over that I wore a see through white shirt. I let it hang open, only doing a few buttons up near the bottom. I wore my favourite boots with it and my black zip-up hoody.

I ended up looking in the mirror a ridiculous amount of times once I was dressed. I wanted to look good. I was in no way vain but I still didn't want to go around looking bad. After I was comfortable with my clothes I went onto hair and make-up.

I ended up going for my usual. I put on my favourite black eyeliner on then just settled for natural colours when it came to eyeshadow. For my hair I straightened it but then curled the ends. I normally didn't bother so much but for some reason this time felt different.

After I was one hundred percent happy I left my apartment. I walked quickly enough to get away but not too quickly that I would draw attention to myself. When it came to getting my car out of the garage and driving away I did it all with exceptional speed.

When I arrived at the Toretto's it was just after eleven. People were starting to show up already and I noticed that Dom and Vince had returned. I parked my car up across the road from the house and got out. I was greeted straight away by Leon.

"Hey you," he smiled.

"Where did you come from?"

"I was just outside the house talking to some people when I saw you," he shrugged. "Figured I'd come over."

"Well that's very nice," I smiled.

"While I'm being nice," he winked. "You look amazing."

"You don't look so bad yourself."

I actually studied him as I made the comment. His jeans were baggy and hung lose on his hips. He wore a black jersey with a white number 7 on the front. The sleeves were three quarter length but he pushed them up slightly. I also noticed the way he ran his hands through his hair as we walked.

I was too busy trying to talk to Leon that I didn't pay attention to where we went. As we walked through the front door and into the living room I walked into something solid.

"Hey," Dom chuckled

He caught me with one arm and stopped me from hitting the floor. As he pulled me up Leon sent me a smile before leaving us alone. I smiled at him before turning my smile to Dom. I shyly thanked him as he let go of me.

"You should watch where you're going."

"Blame Leon, he distracted me."

"Leon, huh?" Dom said with a smirk.

"What's that look for?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "You've been here a day, if that and you've already taken to Jesse and Leon."

"Yeah, they're cool."

"Sure, cool," he smiled.

I hit him on the chest. "Oh shut up. They're not my type," I muttered, just getting what he meant.

"Leon isn't, really?" Dom asked. "I mean, they way you act with Jesse... It's how Mia and I are sometimes. I could see the spark, but I could also see one with you and Leon. Only that sparks different."

"He's not my type," I repeated. "Well, he is, but he isn't."

Dom folded his arms and smiled. "How so?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's nice, he's fun, he's smart, all of that and more which I like. But I don't know, I can't explain it. Something is missing. Or there's something there that makes me think of him as brother, just like with Jess."

"Am I your type?" he suddenly asked.

I felt my eyes go wide as I started at him. "Excuse me?"

He relaxed his pose. "You heard."

"I... Erm... I don't know." I found myself suddenly nervous.

He walked towards me, backing me up towards the wall. "I'm sure you do."

I shook my head, determined. "No."

He backed me up completely till I hit the wall. He put a hand on the wall beside my head then stepped so close that our bodies touched. "Maybe I can make it easier for you."

I smiled, suddenly feeling my confidence coming back. "That's an easy way to earn yourself a black eye, Toretto."

"Maybe I like risk," he whispered in my ear.

I bit my lip. "Back down Toretto, I don't know you."

"Does that matter?"

Before I could respond he kissed my neck. Without meaning to I kneed him in the stomach. He fell away from me, his arms wrapped around his stomach. My eyes went wide at the realisation of what I'd done. I didn't want to hurt him, I just didn't do well with being close to people. It was an automatic thing to lash out, especially in scenarios like that.

As he straightened up I felt the first wave of tears. I tried to blink them away, I didn't want him to see. He stepped towards me, eyes filled with anger. When he stopped and frowned I realised he saw my expression. He could tell I hadn't meant it. He raised his hand as if to touch me softly but then dropped it as if considering it a bad move.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm sorry," I gasped before running pass him.

I headed straight for the kitchen where I knew I would be safe. Once I was there I grabbed a beer from the fridge and downed it. I then threw the empty bottle into the trash, a little harder than I had meant to.

"Careful."

I turned around to see Leon in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "I didn't mean to throw it so hard."

"Like you didn't mean to kick Dom so hard?" he chuckled.

"You saw?" I asked quietly.

He nodded. "Sure did. He's OK though, don't think you did any damage."

"Good," I sighed with relief as I went to the fridge and grabbed two beers.

"Drowning your sorrows won't work," he smiled.

"Only one is for me," I said as I rolled my eyes. "So I don't have to run for my life or anything?"

"He didn't kill you after you set him up," Leon shrugged. "So I'm sure you're safe."

I nodded then opened the beers up and carried them past Leon. I walked through the living room and located Dom sitting on the windowsill. He looked happy enough which made me feel a little better. I went to stand in front of him. I handed him the beer before he could say anything.

"My way of apologising."

He took the beer and gave a look of satisfaction. "Not bad."

"Should you be drinking that?" he asked, pointing to my own beer.

"Maybe not," I smiled. "But are you going to stop me?"

He laughed a little. "I guess not."

We drank the beers in silent, but every so often he would look at me and we would smile. I noticed that girls would come over but he would only wave them away. From the look on their faces I figured that wasn't common.

"They're going to keep coming over," I told him.

"I know," he sighed.

"I can always go and let you get on with it," I said, starting to turn away.

He grabbed my hand softly. "Stay."

I smiled and turned back to face him properly. We drank the rest of our beers. He finished his and set it down next to him. Once I had finished mine he took it and put it with his. He then motioned for me to sit beside him, which I did.

"Look," I started. "I just don't like people touching me without my say so."

"That's understandable," he said. "Guess I'm just not used to people saying no."

"You get that much attention, eh?"

He smiled sideways at me. "Something like that. What about you?"

"Not for a while."

He sighed heavily. "It's hard to believe you're nineteen."

"Well how old are you and everyone else?" I asked. "I didn't dwell into that much information."

"V and I are twenty-one, Leon and Jess are nineteen like you and Mia is only seventeen."

"So how come it's so hard for you to believe that I'm nineteen?"

He shrugged. "I want to say I wish you were older but there's not much difference between us. And then I want to say it's because I thought you were seventeen when we met. I don't really know, but I look at you and I don't think nineteen."

"What do you think when you look at me?" I asked curiously.

"How pretty you are are, who you are, what you're about," he said. "You get the gist."

I nodded. "All in time, maybe you'll find out."

"I'd like that," he said happily, nudging me slightly.

* * *

The next day I went to work at the garage with the Toretto's. I raced and fixed my own car but I wasn't that good with mechanics so I stuck to paper work. I spent three hours filling it out before Mia gave me a cup of coffee.

"Don't work so hard," she whispered. "No one else does."

I shrugged. "It keeps me busy."

"Well, if you need anything."

With that she was gone and I was left alone in the small office. Dom said I could use it to concentrate. It had worked perfectly because I had gotten triple what I had planned done.

I sat back a little in the chair and drank some of the coffee. I decided a couple minutes without work might not actually be that bad.

"Knock knock," Leon said as he pushed the door open.

"Yes?" I asked, torn between whether I was happy for the new interruption or not.

"Dom wants to come in and talk to you," he explained. "When suits you?"

"Erm, just tell him a give me a minute to finish this form."

He nodded. "I don't think you're in trouble."

With that he left, and I hurriedly filled in the form. I had it done mere seconds before he walked in. I went to vacate the office chair for him but he made himself comfortable on the couch.

"You don't owe me anything," he said after a few moments of silence.

"But I set you up."

He shrugged. "I really don't care, for some reason I never did. It's not me, anyone will tell you that. But you don't owe me anything."

"What does this mean then?" I whispered.

"You can continue to help out in here or the diner, I'll pay you of course," Dom explained. "But it's up to you whether you take it and stay or just leave."

"Erm..."

"Oh, don't say yet," he told me. "Go away and think about it. But if you do leave, come by and say goodbye to us, OK?"

I was suddenly left in the room alone again. This time it was cold and dark and I didn't like it. The choice I had been given shouldn't have been a hard one to make. I should've been able to make it with so much ease. Instead I found my head in a whirl, my mind racing. I honestly didn't know what to do. I knew I should run, I never wanted to be here. But I was, so what should I do?

"Don't go."

I looked up and was surprised to see the whisper had come from Jesse. He stepped into the office and shut the door again. I hadn't heard it open.

"Dom told us all what he told you," Jesse sighed. "I wasn't supposed to come back here but I needed to ask you not to go."

"Jess, I don't know."

"Look I know I'm not like Leon or Dom or even Vince," Jesse said desperately. "But I can be nice and I'll be your friend and-"

I stood up quickly and put my hands on his shoulders. "It's nothing like that."

"It's not?"

"No, Jess you're great, you all are," I told him honestly. "But I was never supposed to be here like this."

"Then why are you?"

"I had to apologise to Dom for what I did."

Jesse nodded sadly before giving me a quick hug. I squeezed him tightly and it felt for a moment like he was never going to let go. But then he did and I felt sad myself to see him walk out of the office.

I turned around and numbly put all the papers together. I then filed them away quietly and collapsed into the office chair. I barely knew them, so why the hell did I care? I had nothing keeping me here. They were all great people and I really liked them but I was never really a people person, not long term anyway. It would always be the same, we would get on well but then I'd always feel uncomfortable or things would go wrong. It scared me more than anything that I couldn't make a choice.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been three days since Dom gave me the choice. I had stopped seeing them all together but that wasn't my official answer. I never told them if I was staying or going. I just couldn't handle them. I needed to get away for a while, see if that influenced my decision.

I looked up from my living room floor as someone knocked on my door. I put the bowl of fruit loops I was eating on the floor next to me before standing up. I stretched then cautiously walked towards the door. I opened it up slowly but it was pushed back with extreme force.

"What the hell?" I demanded as I fell back onto the floor.

"Suprise."

My face dropped as my eyes settled on the figure hovering above me. I crawled backwards before attempting to stand up. I managed to stand up as he reached me. I was about to turn away when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him.

"I don't get a hi?"

"Hi Lewis," I mumbled.

"It's been a while."

"Yeah, maybe because I told you I didn't want to see you again."

He nodded. "True, and I respected that."

"So what the hell are you doing here?"

"I need you to race for me," he said simply.

"I'm not even that good," I sighed.

His grip tightened around my wrist. "You'll be fine in this one. It's small but the money is surprisingly huge. You'll get your usual ten percent."

"That ten percent was one of the reasons I stopped riding with you."

His gripped tightened even more and he twisted my arm round into an awkward posistion. I hissed as the pain built up. "Who said you had a choice?" he whispered in my ear.

"The answer is no," I said sternly, but he twisted my hand even more. "OK! When?"

He smirked before releasing my hand. "Two weeks on Saturday. I'll be by with more details nearer the time," he explained as he walked towards the door. "This is a nice place, well, nicer than the last one you were in."

I watched as he left. I cradled my hand, trying not to cry at the constant pain. I walked slowly into the kitchen area and grabbed my first aid kit out of the cupboard. I wrapped my hand up with bandages as best as I could.

* * *

"Harper, what are you doing here?"

My eyes grew wide. I was at the fucking hospital, how were they even here?

"Jess, hey," I whispered as I turned around to face him. "Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, Vince punched a wall," he shrugged. "Not even sure why to be honest."

"Oh, how is he?"

"He's good." But Jesse wasn't paying much attention, he was staring at my hand. "Looks like he's not the only one who hurt his hand."

"It's nothing," I mumbled.

"Miss?" I turned to see the Nurse. "Come through."

I followed her, noticing that Jesse was following me. I wanted to tell him to go away but I didn't want to seem harsh. When I walked into the small room I sat down on the stool while the nurse sat across from me and unravelled the bandages.

As Jesse stood near the door the doctor came in. He had my x-rays in his hands. Just as he was about to speak the rest of the Torettos came in.

"Jess, what are you doing?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, you never came back with our coffees," Mia sighed.

"I found Harper," he explained while motioning over to me.

I tried to smile but Dom stepped forward and I frowned. "What did you do to your hand?"

"Nothing," I muttered.

"I would like to know that too," the Doctor mused.

"What's wrong with it, Doc?" I asked.

"Just a fracture, but there's a lot of bruising," he informed me. "Any more pressure and it could have broken."

"It was an accident," I whispered.

"Is that always going to be the story?" he asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Dom asked angrily.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with anyone but my patient," he said casually.

"Tell me, now," Dom growled.

"It means I always come into hospital," I sighed. "And between you and me Doc most of those are from me being thrown around in my car."

"You look like a racer," the nurse whispered, trying to make the conversation more light hearted.

He nodded. "It doesn't look too bad considering so Nurse Adams will sort you out then you can go."

I looked up at Dom. "I'm not abused or anything if that's what you think."

"I never said I thought that," he muttered.

"I can see it," I sighed. "Honestly, most of my past injuries are from cars. I'm too rough and I get thrown about all the time. Some of them were even from where my seatbelt had pulled too tight against me."

"But they're not all from that," Vince said, coming into the conversation.

"Stealing things doesn't come without it's downsides, I can't just walk through the front door, sometimes I fall," I muttered. "And with where I live there's bound to be a fight or two."

"I told her she should move," Leon mused.

I rolled my eyes. "I can't. Plus, it's not that bad. Better than the last place I had."

Dom held out his hand as the nurse said I could leave. "Come on, we're going to watch a movie and hang out for a bit."

"I was going to go for a walk," I mumbled.

"Then we'll go to the beach," he shrugged.

I smiled when Mia squealed with excitement. How could I say no after that? "I guess I could spare a few hours."

* * *

"What the-?" I demanded as Leon flicked sand at me.

"I wanted to get your attention."

"Could of thought of a different way to do it," I mumbled.

"Where's the fun in that?" he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "What did you want?"

"Come for a swim?"

"I don't have a costume."

"So what? Neither do I," he grinned.

"I'll walk along the edge but I'm not going in," I compromised.

"Better than nothing," he shrugged as he got up.

He waited for me to stand up and we walked down towards the water. We walked side by side, he was closer to the water so more of it splashed over his feet. Every so often I caught him looking at me or my bandaged hand. I hadn't lied to them, I wasn't abused, sometimes Lewis was a little rough but generally my injuries were from racing, my clumsyness or fighting.

"You never gave Dom an answer."

"I don't know if I'm coming or going," I told him honestly.

"Did you miss us?" he asked. "And be honest."

"A little, I guess."

"Then I think you should stay," he smiled. "You missed us, even just a little bit so you must've liked us."

"It was never about not liking you," I told him. "It was more to do with the fact that I was never supposed to know you."

"How long have you been on your own?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well I'm assuming you are."

I shrugged. "I was seventeen when I ended up on my own."

"Why? How?"

"Not yet, Leon," I whispered.

He chuckled. "Well, we're all here. I'm not even sure why, we haven't even known you that long. But I bet even Vince would help or let you talk to him."

I smiled but before I could say anything he hoisted me over his shoulder. I screamed and hit his back with my hands. As he ran towards the water I found myself laughing but my eyes grew wide when I was thrown into the air. I hit the water and kicked back up through the surface.

"You're dead!"

He swam over to where I was. "Try your hardest."

I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed him under. When I let go he stared at me, mouth hanging open. He must have thought I wouldn't do it, or couldn't.

"Hard enough for you?"

He nodded. "But it's nice in here, right?"

I tried not to look at him. "Maybe."

Suddenly his hands were rested on my waist, I put mines on his shoulders as he spun us round in circles. It was weird underwater. I could feel the water flow past us and even though we were going slower than we would on land I felt like we wouldn't stop.

"See we get on well," he said as he finally stopped.

I looked over at the beach behind him. "Leon."

"Don't think about it so hard," he whispered. "You have Jess and I as friends. Mia would love to have another girl around and Dom is already somewhat protective."

"I don't do well with people," I whispered.

"Why?"

"I end up having to leave them or they leave me," I sighed. "Sometimes I even hurt them."

"We've all been hurt," he told us. "It's why we're together."

As I looked at the beach again I noticed Dom stood at the water's edge watching us. From the distance we were at I couldn't make out his facial expression. I tapped Leon's shoulder and motioned towards the beach with my head. He turned around and sighed.

"Come on, let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

As Leon and I came out of the water Dom was staring at us but I could see the smile playing on his lips. He suggested we go back his and gave me no room to argue or say no. I sighed in defeat and just followed them up the beach towards the cars.

They had only brought two with them so Dom, Vince and Mia rode in Dom's car while Leon, Jesse and I rode in Leon's. I sat curled up in the front passenger's seat. I kept fidgeting because of the irritation of my wet clothes against me. Jesse was in the middle at the back but he was leaning forward.

"How can you drive?" I snapped at Leon.

"What's up?" he smirked.

"These wet clothes are so irritating," I complained.

"They're not that bad."

"It is," I groaned. "And if it weren't for you I wouldn't even be this wet."

He raised an eyebrow. "My fault, huh?"

I leaned over and hit him on the leg. He held my hand in place before I could pull away. I watched intently, wondering what he was going to do. He suddenly smiled then reached over with the same hand. I almost squealed with surprise when he started to tickle me.

I squirmed in my seat, trying to fend him off without distracting him even more. I tried to swat him away every time his hands came near me. I noticed Jesse smiling at us as he watched. I couldn't help but laugh. It had been a long time since I had been tickled, I forgot what it felt like.

"The road," I managed to gasp.

"No, no, don't worry about that," he grinned, never stopping. "I got it."

"Leon," I screamed.

He stopped, shocked. I watched as he pulled away before I grinned. His eyes narrowed. "That was a cruel way to make me stop."

I smiled sweetly at him. "But it worked didn't it?"

He nodded. "I'll just have to get you later."

I grimaced at that but then I caught Jesse's smile and I couldn't help but smile too. It was contagious. My breath caught when I realised I was genuinely happy. So happy it hurt. I looked worriedly at them. I didn't want to have to ever leave them. Mostly it was Jesse and Leon I felt that way about it. They were just so easy to get on with and they treated me like they had known me for years.

"Harper," Jesse said softly.

I stroked his cheek softly. "Yeah?"

He leaned into my hand before I dropped it. "Are you sticking around?"

"Do you want me to?" I asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

He nodded eagerly. "Hell yeah I do!"

I chuckled before looking over at Leon. He was concentrating on the road, no expression. "What about you?"

He looked sideways at me. "You must be blind if you have to ask that."

I smiled. "Please, Leon."

"Do you know what I do want?"

I shrugged. "Surprise me."

"I want to check out your place to see how bad it is," he sighed. "If it's not as bad as I think then I'll just see you whenever and leave you to it, we can just hang out whenever you're free. But if it is as bad as I think then I'm packing up your stuff and bringing you back to the fort."

"And what if everyone else is against that?"

"You can stay in the basement with me and Jess then," he shrugged.

I smiled. "I'll be fine, Leon, honestly. But you really want me around?"

"So blind," he sighed. "Yeah, I do."

"Well it looks I'll be sticking around for a while, Jess," I whispered to him.

He fell back against the chair with a satisfied grin on his face. I watched him in the mirror, he just stared out of the window, the smile still on his face. I looked over at Leon, he still looked forward but he too was smiling. I nudged his leg lightly with my foot. I noticed him watch me from the corner of his eye.

* * *

"I was just speaking to, Jesse," Dom said as he came out into the garden.

"What did he say?" I asked casually.

"You know," he smiled. "Do I need to sort out another bed?"

I shook my head. "I think I'm still going to stay at mine."

He nodded. "Well just drop by whenever you want, if we're not here we'll be at work most likely."

"Sounds cool," I whispered.

"You must be freezing," he frowned. "Why haven't you changed yet? Leon already has."

"I felt rude taking someone else's clothes," I explained.

Dom went to speak but it was Leon I heard. "Come on, girl. I'll find you something."

I noticed Dom look at Leon uneasily but I ignored it. I liked Leon, I found myself trusting him and actually wanting to be his friend. I just hoped it wouldn't end badly.

I let him guide me through to the basement door. He switched on the light before walking ahead. I noticed that he kept glancing behind him. I just smiled at him each time. When we did reach the bottom I noticed it had been separated off. They had used separators to make a small hallway, when we went through the first door I noticed that had been separated from the other room.

"It's nice down here," I mused, looking at the little tiny window near the ceiling.

"Yeah, we were sharing the one big room but it didn't work out to well when one of us brought girls home, especially if we both did," he sighed. "So I put up to walls around my room and made the makeshift door."

"How come Jesse has another wall now?"

He shrugged. "I'm not really sure, just came down here one day and he'd put the other wall and door up."

I looked around. Even though the rooms had been separated I noticed that his room was still quite big. I wondered if Jesse's was too. I studied every inch of the room. The walls were covered with posters of half-naked girls, cars and what I assumed were movies and video games. His bed was in the corner with a small table next to it holding a lamp. He had a small chest of draws, a desk with a chair and a recliner. I noticed the desk had a small radio/CD player along with other bits and bobs.

Without thinking I went over to the bed. I looked down as I went and noticed the black rug on the floor. I smiled and went to sit on the bed. He didn't complain, just threw me a brush. I looked at it oddly before pulling it through my hair, it was starting to curl. As I waited he passed me over a top and a pair of what looked like boxers.

"The boxers are clean," he smiled. "It's just all my stuff would be too big for you and I doubt they would stay up." He then looked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Or I could see if Mia has anything."

I shook my head. "These look comfy, just turn around."

"I could leave," he whispered.

"I trust you not to look."

He smiled happily at that before turning around. My clothes weren't even that wet anymore but they did spell too much like the ocean, I wrinkled my nose. I pulled my top up over my head and folded it neatly. I looked down, my bra was still wet but I didn't want to walk around here without it. I decided in the end to just leave it as I pulled on Leon's shirt. It was huge and I just hugged myself. After a moment I wriggled out of my jeans, which was harder than ever seen as they clung to me. Once I wriggled into the boxers I looked down. You could barely see them because the top was so long.

"I'm decent," I said, a little unsure.

He turned around and smiled at me but then it dropped and he looked horrified. "Oh God, your hand."

I raised my hand up to look at it. The bandages were soggy and the skin I could see looked horrible but I couldn't see what he was getting at. "What about it?"

"I was tickling you and making you fight me off and I didn't even think…" he muttered angrily. "Is it OK? Did I hurt it?"

"Leon, that was the most fun I've had in a long time," I sighed. "Don't take that away from me now."

He smiled. "I'm going to that as a 'yes Leon, my hand is fine thank you'."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, now are you coming?"

He followed me out of the room and upstairs to the others. As I made my way towards the backdoor he grabbed my good hand and pulled me back. He guided me over to the table where I was forced to sit. I noticed Mia was coming to sit at the table with a first aid kit.

I held my hand out and let her unwrap it. I scrunched my face up in disgust when I realised how bruised my hand looked. I sighed with relief when she started to wipe it with some warm water. I snapped my eyes closed and looked away when she started to bandage it up. It wasn't even that she was being harsh. It just hurt a lot more than I remembered.

When I opened my eyes again I noticed Jesse and Leon were watching me with amused looks on their faces, but at least they were trying to hide it as much as possible. Dom on the other hand was sat with us at the table and he had a massive grin on his face.

I almost jumped when Vince came to sit at the table with us. He sat beside Dom and both them watched us with interest. I noticed that Vince was trying not to smile as he leaned back in his chair. I would have given him evils like I would with Leon and Jesse but I knew Vince didn't like me.

It didn't matter. Eventually I snapped. "Quit smirking."

And he did. His eyes narrowed. "I'll do whatever the hell I want."

I noticed the smiles drop from everyone's faces. "Not when it involves me," I growled. "I know for a fact that the others are actually concerned, but you, you don't give a shit."

"That doesn't mean I want to see you hurt or anything," he muttered.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. "You hate me, V. I know it and so does everybody else."

"Well they should all hate you too for what you do."

I stood up, not even sure if Mia was finished with my hand or not. "If it wasn't for the fact that I told Jesse I would stay then I swear to God I'd kick your ass then leave and never come back."

I stormed out of the kitchen before any of them could say anything. I was satisfied with the shocked look I received from Vince. I didn't stop till I was out of the front door and stood on the front lawn. I sat down crossed legged and stared at my hand. There was an open safety pin hanging from it. I pulled the last bit of bandage round and did my best to do up the safety pin. It was a little loose but it would have to do.

"So you're only staying for Jesse?"

I looked over as Leon sat down beside me. "I didn't mean it like that. But he was the main reason that I chose to stay. You remember how he looked at me in the car, right?"

He nodded. "Sure, he looked scared that you would say no and leave."

"Well, after Dom gave me the choice he came straight into the office and practically begged me not to go," I said sadly. "But you are the other main reason. You make me happier than I've been in a long time."

He looked shocked at that. "I do?"

I nodded, smiling slightly. "Don't seem so surprised. You made today so much better."

He smiled. "Glad to be of service."

I shuffled closer to him. "Just because Jesse was the first thing that made me stay doesn't mean that I'm not staying for you too."


	8. Chapter 8

Before I had time to react Leon had reached over, pecked me on the lips then pulled away again. As I looked at him he just laid back on the grass. There was nothing behind it, it would just be like if he kissed my cheek. I smiled at the small contact. It didn't frighten me and part of me wanted him to do it again.

I decided to lie down next to him. We didn't say anything but it was nice. I liked Leon. I mean, how could you not? He was so casual and easy to get along with. There was no struggle with him.

"Did I overreact with Vince?"

"Nah," he chuckled. "I hope you do it again. Some of the faces he pulled were priceless."

"Glad I helped to amuse you."

"Your hand OK? You stormed out before Mia could finish."

"It's a little loose but it'll do."

He sat up and spun around to face me. I watched as he took my bandaged hand in his. I let him undo the safety pin. I flinched a little when he pulled the last of the bandage tightly before pinning it again. I felt the pressure building up and my hand felt really warm, but after a minute or two it started to feel good.

"Thanks," I whispered.

He nodded. "Who's going to drive you home?"

I looked away. "I'ma get a taxi. I brought enough money for one cause I figured I'd have to get one home as well."

"Come on, we could take you."

"No, it's cool."

Without giving him time to respond, I went back into the house. I felt bad for just walking away from him but there was no chance I was budging on them taking me home. Only Mia and Jesse were still in the kitchen when I reached it.

"Where are they?" I asked as I crept into the kitchen.

To my surprise Jesse ran to me and hugged me. "You OK?"

I ruffled his hair as I nodded. "Where are they?" I repeated.

Jesse stayed by my side but it was Mia who spoke. "Dom took Vince outside to have word."

"I didn't hear them."

Mia shrugged. "They probably tried to stay calm because they knew that you and Leon were outside."

"When do I get shouted at?"

I asked it just as Leon, Dom and Vince came back into the house.

Jesse fidgeted a little but stayed where he was. Leon came to stand on my other side.

"What makes you think you'll get shouted at?" Dom asked.

"He's a dick, I won't change my mind on that." I motioned to Vince. "But I said some things I shouldn't have."

"You did nothing wrong," Dom smiled. "Vince just needs to learn to get over things."

"Not like I should," Vince muttered. It was clear that he wanted to say more but he remained quiet.

Leon wrapped an arm around my waist. "When are you going?"

"Soon, although my wallet is with my clothes. I need to see if there's anything in there that hasn't been ruined from the water."

"Yeah," he smiled. "Sorry about that."

I smiled before slipping away from him. I wondered downstairs and grabbed my clothes. I fished my wallet out of the buttoned up back pocked so that I could swap his boxers for my jeans. They seriously needed washed, they felt horrible on. Frowning at my top I picked it up and my wallet.

I checked the contents of the wallet. My money was crumbled but it didn't look too ruined. However I wasn't too sure about the rest of its content. I put it back into my pocket and headed upstairs.

"Can I borrow this?" I pulled at the top I was wearing.

He turned around when he heard me enter. "Oh, definitely."

"What's wrong with yours?" Dom asked. It sounded like he was angry.

"Needs washed."

"You're wearing your jeans," he pointed out.

"I didn't fancy getting into a taxi wearing his boxers."

"Since when were you getting a taxi?" Dom asked. It seemed he was still angry.

Mia came over to me and took my shirt. I let her and she put it in a bag for me. I noticed she set it on the side so I moved to sit at the table again. Leon and Jesse both joined me.

"Since I couldn't drive my car so I had to take a taxi to the hospital."

He sighed. "We'll take you."

"Nice try," Leon chuckled. "I've already tried that one."

"Yeah, and I refused the offer," I smiled. "Although it was nice."

"Come on, it's no trouble."

"No, Dom," I said quietly.

"I say we let her walk," Vince muttered.

"Nobody asked you," I snapped.

I felt all eyes on me, it was clear someone was going to have a go at Vince. I guess no one expected it to be me.

"Well I gave my opinion anyway."

"Whatever," I mumbled.

"Is that all you got?" he asked, walking over to me.

I stood up just as he reached me. He was a lot taller than me, I only just reached his chest, if that. It didn't stop me though. I put my hands on my hips and glared up at him.

"Come on, dawg. Back down," Leon said sternly. It was clear he was trying to be nice about it.

"Yeah, V," I smirked. "Back down."

His hands shot forward and clamped down on my arms. I felt his fingers dig into me and I flinched. He glared at me and I refused to look away.

"Is that all you got?" I asked, imitating his words.

His grip tightened and I gasped at the shock of it. He pulled me closer to him and went to say something but suddenly he stopped. I realised when he let go that I was crying.

I grabbed the bag on the side and stormed out. I felt bad for not saying goodbye to everyone but I didn't want to be around them. I made it outside and decided to carry on walking. I hadn't brought my cell with me. I remembered calling a taxi with my house phone, but I must have left without picking my phone up.

"Get in."

I looked to see Vince drive up beside me. I refused to stop so he didn't either. I just looked a head and ignored him.

"Seriously Harper, get in."

I froze when he used my name. I stopped dead in my tracks and he broke hastily. He got out and came to stand in front of me.

"Come on," he said. It was softer than I expected.

"Did one of the others put you up to this?"

"They forced me to come out here and apologise," he admitted. "But I chose to drive out and find you."

"Why?"

"Look, I'm not saying I like you," he sighed. "But I was harsh and I didn't mean to make you cry."

I didn't respond, instead I just went over and got in the passenger seat of his car. I waited and after a couple of minutes he got in as well. He pulled off without saying anything.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he turned around.

"Back to the fort."

I shook my head. "Can you take me home instead?"

"I thought you didn't want us taking you home."

"I didn't," I mumbled. "But I want to go home."

"What happened to your taxi?"

"I realised I didn't have my phone," I explained. "But if taking me home bothers you so much then I'll just walk."

"Don't be so stupid, you're already in the car," he sighed. "So where am I going?"

"Keep driving, I'll direct you as we drive."

I didn't want to give him my full address because if I directed him then I could make him stop anywhere and he wouldn't know any better.

We pulled up to where I kept my car after a long awkward drive. I got out without looking at him. He came out too and stood behind me. I ignored him and went up to the garage door. I left the key to it at my place but I still wanted to check to see if I seemed OK.

"Thanks for the lift," I said as I inspected the garage door. It didn't look like anyone had tried to break in.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking no one broke in," I said. "This is where I keep my car."

"Open it up then."

"The key is at mine," I explained. "But it doesn't look damaged and when I pull on it it doesn't open."

"Go get your keys then."

I rolled my eyes. "I live a five minute walk from here."

Before he could respond I started that five minute walk. I mean, I had already thanked him and I doubt he even wanted me around. But I was shocked when I heard footsteps and he appeared beside me.

"I'll drive you"

"No thanks."

"Fine," he mumbled. "I'll walk with you."

I didn't say anything, just shrugged and continued to walk. He didn't say anything either, he didn't even glance my way. I noticed he kept a safe distance. You could have put a whole person between us.

I suddenly became aware of how horrible this part of town really was. It might have been because Vince was there. But it suddenly seemed more horrible than I remembered. There were a couple of burnt out cars as we got closer to my place. The buildings had graffiti on them and a lot of windows had been smashed. I noticed Vince's hand hovered by the waistband of his jeans.

"Bit fidgety," I commented.

"Yeah, well it doesn't seem safe here."

"It's not," I agreed.

We had just turned the corner and I saw my place when a gun shot sounded. Vince ducked a little and looked around wary. I just chuckled and carried on walking. I could tell from the sound that the gun went off ages from where we stood. They still scared the crap out of me but I tried not to let it bother me too much. I found no point in showing how scared I was.

"Stop walking," Vince yelled as he ran to catch up with me.

When he stopped me I noticed he had a gun in his hand. I rolled my eyes.

"It's safer if we get inside," I muttered.

I continued walking and Vince just followed, keeping a firm grim on his gun. I reached my front door and dug my key out of my wallet so I could unlocked it. I walked in and breathed in. It was a mess but it was quiet. The walls kept most of the small noises out and my apartment was a stand alone which meant I had no noise from neighbours. Unless one of the near by buildings had a party.

"Nice place," Vince commented. "Not much stuff though."

"Money problems," I mumbled as I went through my usual routine of checking out all the rooms.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure everything is OK," I said as I came back into the living and kitchen area. "Put that thing away."

He hesitantly put the safety on before tucking it into the waistband of his jeans. He awkwardly walked into the living room as I went to check all the locks were done up on the front door. When I came back in I brushed past him and sat on the floor.

"Does this mean I'm staying?"

I shrugged. "I locked the door for safety purposes because you didn't look like you were planning on moving much any time soon."

"Leon was right, you should move."

I was starting to get irritated so I stood up. I went to stand in front of him. "I have money problems," I reminded. "Plus, why the hell do you care? Don't worry if Dom asks I'll say you were nice and took me home. You'll be back in his good books without issues."

"I brought you home because I was sorry for how harsh I was," he hissed. "But you're right I don't give a shit."

"Good! See yourself out."

I stormed into my bedroom and slammed the door. I dug out a pair of cotton shorts that I wore for bed. I peeled off my jeans and put on the shorts instead. I debated for several moments before deciding to keep on Leon's top. I flopped down onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

A couple of hours later, after dozing off a few times, I found myself worrying. I didn't feel too comfortable with my front door being unlocked after Vince leaving. It was just getting dark which meant the streets would be darker and more dangerous.

I pushed myself up off the bed and walked out of the room. My curtains were closed and the lights were off so it was already pretty dark. I turned to look at the door and as my eyes adjusted I noticed the locks were still done up. I nervously switched on the lights to the living room.

I almost jumped when I saw Vince asleep on the two seater. Why was he still here? I went over and gently shook him. It took a while but he eventually started to wake. He sat up properly and rubbed his eyes.

"Too afraid to go outside?" I asked.

"Shut up."

"Well if that is the case then it's more dangerous now that it's dark out."

"You sure there's nowhere else you could be?"

I wandered into the kitchen and got a glass of water. I drank some then poured it away.

"Only Leon has ever offered, but I doubt you want me living at yours."

"Yeah, you're not wrong."

"Why are you even here if you don't like me?"

"I don't like you but that doesn't mean I want you to get killed or hurt or anything."

"I've done fine so far," I muttered angrily.

"How long is so far?"

"I'll keep that sort of information to myself."

"Fine," Vince grumbled. It was clear he was just as angry as I was. "Your phone was been ringing."

I came through to the living room section and he was pointing at my cell. I picked it up and took a look. I had ten missed calls. I curiously checked them. They were all from Dom. I clicked his number and held it to my ear. I sat down on the floor, refusing to sit with Vince, while it rang. I waited but it was picked up almost instantly.

"Harper?" he asked urgently.

"Hey, Dom."

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, Vince made sure I got home."

"Vince?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "He's still here actually."

"Well tell him to get his ass home soon," Dom laughed. "And you're welcome to."

"Oh, thanks," I mumbled. "But I think I'm going to stay here and catch an early night. I'll be sure to send Vince home though."

"I'll see you soon though, yeah?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Bye Dom."

I hung up the phone and set it back on the table. "You're to get your ass home soon."

He nodded. "You sure you're not coming?"

"Nope." I got up so I could show him out and lock up again.

"Good," he muttered

"Oh, and there was me thinking you we're trying to be civil."

"Why would I want to be civil to you?" he demanded. He stood up and grabbed his gun from under the two seater. He put it in the waist band of his jeans. "You just appear out of nowhere and set Dom up."

"I made sure they had nothing on him!"

"That's not the point," Vince growled. "What if he got arrested for good?"

"Then I would understand but he got out, so get over it!"

He went to shout but we were both silenced by a loud noise. Part of my window shattered. Vince shouted out in pain then dropped to his knees. As I stepped closer I noticed the brick. Without thinking I stepped closer to the window. There were a gang of boys across the street. Before I had time to think one of them threw another brick with excessive force. It shattered through the rest of the window and hit my left shoulder. I screamed in pain before I could stop it.

"We gotta go," Vince said urgently as he grabbed me.

"No!"

I tried to pull away but it was no use. He kept his arms around me and pulled me. I managed to scoop up my phone as he pulled me past the table. He kept an arm around me as he fumbled with the locks.

As we stepped outside the cold air hit me. We stumbled for a bit until we heard shouting. Vince pulled at me and we started to run. Every time I slowed down or stopped he would pull harder and shout for me to run. Even when we got closer to our cars and the danger levels went down he still wouldn't give up.

When we did get there he zapped his car open. I made no hesitation in getting into the car with him, and he didn't object. Seconds after we were in we were zooming away.

"That ever happen before?"

"Not while I was at home," I whispered.

"Fuck," he shouted as he hit the steering wheel.

"Don't tell everyone," I whispered. "Please."

He looked over at me. For a moment I thought he would shout at me, tell me to go to hell but his features softened. He looked back to the road.

"This doesn't mean I like you," he sighed. "But I won't say a word."

"Thanks," I said quietly.

The first time I had someone over since I moved in there and two bricks get thrown trough my window. Was I just not allowed people in my life? I sighed and tried not to cry as I stared out of the window.


	9. Chapter 9

I refused to look anywhere but out of the window. I stayed as straight as possible, I didn't want to relax or lean against anything. I hadn't even turned to look at Vince. We were almost back at his and I still hadn't spoken to him since I asked him not to say anything to the others. I started to feel sorry, remembering that I hadn't even asked if he was OK. I took a deep breath before chancing a look at him.

"Are you OK?" I whispered.

He looked sideways at me for a moment. "Yeah."

I nodded. "Where did the brick hit you?"

"Top part of my back I think. I'm not sure, I just felt something hard hit me then I fell," he explained. "Are you OK?"

"I'm not sure," I sighed. "It's my shoulder, but I haven't moved it much so I don't know how bad it is."

"I'll get Mia to check us over when we get back," he told me. "We're nearly there."

I went back to staring out of the window as we pulled into their street. When we finally pulled up in front of the house Vince got out without saying anything. I stayed for a few moments before exiting the car. He locked up and headed straight for the house. I trailed after him; I was in no rush to get to them.

When I did reach the house the front door was open. I entered to find Vince being questioned in the living room. When Leon noticed me he sighed with relief before coming to stand beside me. He put an arm around my waist and kissed my temple. Jesse came to stand by me. He leaned against the wall and I gave him a small smile. Vince threw me a look, it was questioning, I knew exactly what he wanted so I just nodded.

"Some jerks threw a couple of bricks through her window," he explained. "One hit me on the back."

Mia grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen, we all followed. She made him sit down on the chair so that his chest was against the back of it. He lifted off his shirt and she examined the growing bruise that was present between his shoulder blades.

I tried not to laugh as he winced. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't laugh, kid. You're after me."

They all turned to look at me and I rolled my eyes. "A brick may have or may not have hit my shoulder."

Leon guided me over to another chair and set me down on it. I slowly pulled my shirt down so that my shoulder was exposed. I noted the look of disgust on his face. I closed my eyes for a brief moment before chancing a look. It was already bruised but it didn't look too bad beyond that.

Mia moved away from Vince and took a brief look on my shoulder. "It looks broken but it could just be a fracture. They should both go to hospital."

I rolled my eyes and Vince groaned. It seemed like neither of us wanted to go but Dom had other ideas. "Don't," he warned. "We are going no matter what either of you says."

Before either of us had time to argue we were guided outside. Leon, Jesse and I got into Leon's car while the others climbed into Dom's. I refused to look at Jesse or Leon as we drove and eventually they gave up on asking questions. I could see the judgemental looks Leon was giving me, he always hated the idea of my living conditions.

When we arrived at the hospital I didn't wait for everyone as I went straight in. I ended up being taken in for x-rays which later revealed that I was incredibly lucky. I had a severe fracture but if it was hit any harder then I could have broken it. It seemed Vince had the same fate too, although of cause his was much worse due to the placement of his injury.

As we waited to be discharged I sneaked out to the ATM to take out some money, but cursed when I realised I didn't have my wallet, it was still at the apartment.

"You OK?"

I turned quickly to see Jesse stood behind me. "Yeah," I nodded numbly.

"Trouble with the ATM?"

"I forgot my card," I muttered.

"How much do you need?"

"Enough to pay my medical bill."

I expected him to ask questions but he just had me over a wad of cash. I stared at it in disbelief but he walked away before I could hand it back. I walked quietly back into the hospital and paid my bill. I slipped Jesse the money that was left and I promised to pay the rest back as soon as I could.

"Is everyone OK?" Dom asked

"I will be when you get me out of here," Vince groaned. "It wouldn't have been so bad if the nurse looking after me was hot, but she was a total bitch."

"He hates hospitals," Jesse whispered to me.

I chuckled before answering Dom. "Yeah, just this sling is pissing me off."

"You're not doing too well," he pointed out, looking at me hand then my shoulder.

"Yeah, well, shut up," I mumbled as I left the hospital ahead of everyone.

The drive back was just as silent as the drive there. When we got back to the Toretto's I trailed behind everyone. As crazy as it sounds, I wanted to be back at my apartment, it was familiar to me. They all settled into different places in the living room. Vince took the armchair and Mia sat with him. Dom and Leon sat at either end of the couch. I took the middle seat while Jesse sat on the floor in front of me.

"Where did you disappear to?" Leon asked.

"When?"

"At the hospital, after your treatment you disappeared for a bit."

"She went outside," Jesse said, but when I looked down at him he was tense as if he hadn't meant to say it.

"Why?" Dom asked curiously.

"I needed money from the ATM."

"Why?" he asked, looking confused.

"They're a bit slow," Mia chuckled.

I smiled at that. "Well I don't have that much money in my wallet so I had to take it out."

"But for what?" Leon asked.

"To pay her medical bills of course," Mia said as if it were obvious.

I felt Dom tense up beside me. "But surely your insurance would cover it?"

"I have money problems, I'm always moving and I'm always in the hospital," I sighed. "I don't have insurance Dom."

"That's crazy," he mumbled.

I shrugged. "Not really. I get by just fine."

"But how?"

"Need to know bases," I chuckled. Truth was I didn't want to talk about the races I did for Lewis, or the other things I'd done for him in the past.

"I would've paid," he muttered.

"I covered it," Jesse blurted out.

"But I'm going to pay him back," I said softly.

Dom looked between Jesse and I, then Leon and I. He didn't look happy, what was his problem?

* * *

I ended up staying with the Toretto's. Originally I was going to stay a few hours then go back to see the damage of my apartment but pretty much everyone refused to let me go home. I agreed to stay but only if I could stay downstairs with Leon and Jesse. That shocked everyone, including them.

Eventually Vince went upstairs to lie down because of his back. Mia followed soon after to check on him then go to bed. I could feel Dom's eyes on me as I sat leaning towards Leon who had his arm around me. I ruffled Jesse's hair softly, trying to ignore Dom. He only went upstairs when we retired to the basement.

"So I'm assuming you use the upstairs bathroom?"

"Erm, sometimes," Jesse laughed.

"What do you mean?"

Leon pointed to the stairs we had just come down. I turned to see there was a wall that blocked in the space to the right of it, there was a small door. I went over to it and pushed the door open. There was a shower, a toilet and a sink/cabinet area.

"It's not that big, so sometimes we use the toilet upstairs or the bathroom on the top floor," Leon explained.

"How did I not notice this?"

"No one does," he chuckled.

"I got the stuff," Jesse informed Leon.

"What stuff?"

He ignored it. "Where do you want to sleep? Mine or Jesse's?"

"You," I said quietly.

I didn't want to choose but both of them seemed happy with my choice. I watched as they dragged what looked like a fold up bed into Leon's room. They unfolded it and it sat just above the floor. Jesse whispered a goodnight before leaving. Leon placed one of his pillows on the made up bed and unfolded some blankets to lay across it.

"My bed should be comfortable enough," he smiled.

"Oh, no, I'll take that one," I whispered. "You have your bed."

He shook his head. "No, you're the guest."

I nodded as he wandered round to his drawers. He threw me one of his jerseys and turned around for me to get changed. I took my arm out of the sling and took it off. With a lot of pain I managed to strip my clothes off and pull on his jersey. It came down to my knees, causing me to smile. I slipped the sling back on.

"Good," he sighed. "I thought I'd picked out the wrong one. That's my biggest one."

"It's comfy," I told him as I sat down on the bed.

"It looks good on you," he laughed but took time to wink at me.

I involuntarily blushed and quickly lay down and pulled the covers up before he could see. He smiled down at me before going over and turning the lights off. He got changed in the dark ad I tried not to laugh as he banged his toe and swore before falling onto the makeshift bed. As my eyes adjusted I saw him lying on the bed looking up at me. He narrowed his eyes and I just grinned. He rolled his eyes before muttering goodnight and rolling over.

* * *

I shot forward in the middle of the night, breathing hard. I hissed as I hit my shoulder when I fell back. I clutched it and rolled over onto my good side. I snapped my eyes shut and clenched my teeth till the pain subsided.

"You OK?" Leon whispered.

I jumped. "Jesus, Leon!"

He chuckled. "Sorry."

"I hit my shoulder," I mumbled.

He got up and sat on the edge of his bed. He moved me up into a sitting position and took a look at it.

"You don't know what you're doing do you?" I smiled.

He shook his head. "Not a clue."

I rolled my eyes and moved away from him. "Stay with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Lie with me," I rephrased.

He watched me as I laid down. He slipped between the covers and lay beside me. He was lying on my good side so he pulled me towards him. He was on his side so my shoulder hit his chest. I smiled over at him as an arm draped cross my stomach. I sighed and let me eyes close.


	10. Chapter 10

I stretched out slowly, wincing slightly as I did. I felt the space around me but I came up empty. I rubbed my eyes slowly before moving into a sitting position. I pulled my knees up to my chest and pulled Leon's jersey down over them. I leaned back against the headboard just as Leon walked into the room.

"Oh, you're awake," he smiled.

"Yeah, not too long ago," I yawned.

He came and sat down on the end of the bed. "You look comfy."

I nodded. "Is this weird though?"

"What? That you're not attracted to me yet you're sat there in only your underwear and my jersey?" he shrugged. "Maybe, but we were never conventional around here."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "So you don't mind?"

"It's a bummer, you're hot," he smiled. "But no, it doesn't bother me that you're not."

"It's not that you're not attractive, because you are," I mumbled. "But I just don't see you like that..."

He reached over and kissed me lightly on the lips. "I know."

I took hold of him with my good arm and pulled him over completely so that he was lying beside me. I smiled down at him as he trailed a finger up and down my arm. He seemed to realise what he was doing and coughed awkwardly as he pulled his hand away.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Not better, not worse," I sighed. "But I stretched earlier and it didn't hurt half as much as I thought it would."

"Good," he nodded. "How come you're so comfortable with me but you freaked when Dom came really close to you that time?"

"I'm comfortable with Jesse too," I mumbled.

He nodded. "Sure, but still, my question still stands."

"Dom was getting too close."

"I've kissed you a couple of times, and nearly ticked you to death," he pointed out.

"Dom wanted more," I whispered.

"Well yeah, he's attracted to you, that's why," Leon chuckled. "Can't say I blame him."

"Is he attracted to every girl that tries to set him up?"

"No, but you are the first girl to stand up to him since Letty."

"He seems like the dominating sort," I whispered.

"He is, but I guess because not many people stand up to him he finds it intriguing."

"I guess," I smiled. "But I really didn't mean to knee him."

"I'm glad you did," Leon chuckled. "But seriously, be careful with him."

"Why?" I looked at him, honestly confused as to why I should be careful, Dom seemed like a really great guy.

"He's a one night stand kind of guy," Leon shrugged. "Letty was probably the only long, decent relationship he ever had."

I smiled before kissing his cheek softly. "I guess all I need is you and Jess then."

He nodded before kissing my bad shoulder. "We need to get up, well, you need to get up."

I groaned but rolled away from him. I hobbled over to where I had left my clothes and changed into them. I didn't really mind if Leon saw, I felt safe with him but he looked wide eyed and rolled over so his back was to me. I frowned as I finished getting changed and pulled my sling back on. I tapped him timidly on the shoulder.

He rolled over and smiled up at me. I stepped back so that he could get off of the bed. He took the jersey from my hand and folded it neatly before laying it on the pillow.

"I can wash it if you like?" I offered.

He shook his head. "You might need it tonight."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, if your apartment is trashed then there's no way you're staying there," he shrugged.

"I do have my own clothes you know..."

"I know," he said as he headed for the door. "But you look better in mine."

I stood staring at the door as he left. It was that feeling again, the one that told me that he was so obviously flirting with me. But why? He knew that I didn't see him like that. Attracted to him? Sure I was. But that was all, a mindless attraction. With Leon it would have to be more than that. I wasn't about to satisfy either of our needs at the expense of it being awkward afterwards. I needed to really love him. But then why was he flirting and wanting to be close to me all the time?

I followed him out slowly and up to the living room. I sat quietly on the couch beside him. He stretched his arm out and gently laid it across the back of the couch behind me. I instinctively shuffled closer to him and smiled when Jesse came to sit on the floor by my feet.

"I was thinking we could go to your apartment," Dom suggested. "See the damage and sort some things out."

I nodded. "I want to check on my car too." But then I froze.

"What's the matter?" Leon whispered.

Vince seemed to realise and he sighed. "She left the keys to her garage at the apartment."

"They can't have taken her," I breathed out.

"Maybe they didn't," Leon soothed.

I nodded. I wasn't a fanatic when it came to cars but I had wanted that one for years. It was the most expensive thing I owned, my prized possession. If it was ruined or someone had taken it then I wasn't sure what I would do. Obviously noting the worry on my face Dom announced that we would go there and then. He told Mia that she would stay behind, something that she didn't appreciate.

We went straight to the apartment and when we got there the door was kicked in. I sighed and stepped over it. All the cupboards, fridge and freezer were open and its contents missing, not that there was much anyway. My crappy TV set had been pushed over and laid smashed on the floor. I breathed in before stepping into my room. My drawers, wardrobe and other forms of storage had been rummaged through.

I walked numbly over to my bed and pulled out the box that lay beneath it. I sighed with some relief when I noticed that it was still closed. I opened it up carefully and smiled down at the contents. These were the items that I couldn't truly replace.

"What's in the box?" Dom asked as he sat down on the bed.

"Photos, journals, you get the gist."

"Mia has a box of that stuff too," he chuckled. "She's always telling me I should keep one too."

I smiled at that. I too believed that people should keep hold of such things but suddenly I felt sick. "Can we go now?"

He looked confused for a moment but gave a slight nod. "Why don't you pack some things and you can come stay with us for a while?"

I was in no mood to argue; normally I would say no and find somewhere else for the night, but part of me didn't want to be alone. "Sure, give me a few minutes."

I walked slowly over to the wardrobe and pulled the doors open the rest of the way. My wardrobe was rarely even half full but now there were only a couple of pieces left. I grabbed the duffle bag that sat at the bottom and put what little remained of my clothing in the bag. I then checked the drawers for underwear and found myself angry when I realised some of that was missing too. I slammed the last drawer a little too hard once I filled the bag.

"Hey, if you need clothes," Dom said softly. "You can borrow some from Mia till we can get you some of your own."

"That's not the point, I had plenty and they took them," I said angrily. "They stole my damn clothes, that's just sick. They're _clothes_, what the fuck would they want from them?" Of course I knew there were probably lots of reasons as to why they could have taken my clothes but I didn't want to see sense.

"I don't think you'll ever be able to understand people who break into places and steal things, I mean it's ju-" But then he stopped.

I looked up at his horrified expression. "I am one of those people."

"No, you do it because you have no choice," he said softly.

"But what makes you think they're any different?" I asked. "Oh god, I'm just as much of a terrible person as they are."

He gripped my shoulders. "No, you're not!"

I looked up at him. His eyes were so confident, so sure. He looked deadly serious as he tightened his grip on me. I felt my breathing come out in near gasps as I felt how close he was to me. I don't know what came over me, maybe it was just the fact that he was close to me and this time I felt safe, but I leaned up and kissed him.

His eyes went wide at the contact but then they slowly closed. I closed my own as he deepened the kiss. I dropped the bag onto the floor as his hands moved down to my waist. I brought my good arm up to wrap around his neck. He pushed me back and we slammed into the wall. I hissed as the contact hit my shoulder but I refused to let him pull away.

"Harper," he breathed as he did manage to pull away.

I took a few deep breathes. "Why did you stop?" It sounded more childish than I meant it to.

"Your shoulder, is it OK?"

"Screw my shoulder," I pouted.

He chuckled. "I didn't want to stop."

"Then come here then."

I pulled him to me and kissed him again. I felt him smile and I deepened the kiss in response. He held me close to him with one arm and I felt a finger from the other one brush my cheek lightly. The kisses were surprisingly gentler this time. I moaned a little at the thought and as he wrapped both arms around me securely. We broke apart suddenly when there was a light cough from the door.

I blushed as I buried my head in his chest. I felt him chuckle as he dropped one arm but kept the other lightly around my waist.

"We couldn't find anything of interest out here," I heard Leon say." But we found these."

I looked up to see Leon holding my keys out. I grinned and ran over to him. I threw my good arm around him and hugged him tightly. I pulled back and happily took the keys from him. "Thank you so much," I smiled. He nodded but didn't say anything as he turned and walked away. "Leon?" I called.

Dom came to stand beside me. He had my bag in one hand. "You ready to go?"

"What's wrong with him?"

He just shrugged. "Maybe he just doesn't like how bad your place actually is."

"It's not that bad," I mumbled as I grabbed my bag from him and walked away.

We took the cars over to the garage where I kept my car. I opened it up and took a deep breath, I only let it out when I saw my car was still there. I ran in and checked it over. Feeling confident that it looked OK I unlocked it and climbed in. I started the engine and smiled happily when it started without any issue.

"Jess?" I asked as I came out of the garage.

He came over to me. "Yeah?"

I handed him the keys." Could you drive her home? I can't with my arm and I only really trust you with her."

"What about Leon?" he asked timidly.

"He has to drive his own car," I smiled.

He gripped the keys tightly as a big smile spread across his face. I watched as he practically ran round to the driver's side. I chuckled as he got in and seemed to melt against the seat as the engine started. He slowly brought it out from the garage. I closed it and locked it up out of habit.

Dom and Vince got into Dom's car while I got into Leon's with him. I put my bag onto the backseat. I sunk back into the seat after seeing that Jesse was following us. I looked over at Leon and watched him. I frowned when he kept staring straight ahead, a blank expression on his face.

"Are you OK?" I asked quietly. He just nodded. "Talk to me?"

"I don't feel like talking," he mumbled.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

He looked over at me and sighed. "Nothing, OK?"

"Tell me," I pleaded.

He shook his head. "No."

"OK," I said quietly.

"That was a pretty heated kiss," he whispered.

I shrugged as best as I could. "I guess, the first one was more so."

"First one?"

I nodded, suddenly feeling very awkward. "He pulled away because he thought he hurt my shoulder."

He nodded. "I see."

"Leon," I groaned.

"Dom's just not good enough for you, OK?"

"Why not?"

"He isn't into caring about people, not really," Leon muttered. "He'll fuck you and leave."

I winced at how blunt he was being. "What makes you think I want more than that?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Well don't come complaining to me when it happens."

"I won't," I muttered angrily as I stared out of the window. When did he become such an ass?

I jumped a little as he slammed his hand against the steering wheel, but I refused to look his way.


	11. Chapter 11

When the car stopped I made no hesitation in getting out as quickly as possible. I slammed the door shut then got my bag off the back seat. I stormed up to the house and didn't bother to look back at Leon or thank him for the ride. I walked straight passed Mia and into the living room.

The team came in soon after and they were all looking between Leon and I. I guessed they all assumed something had happened, but had Leon said anything? Jesse came over to stand with me but I noticed that Leon kept his distance.

"Can I stay in your room for the night, Jess?" I asked quietly.

I noticed Leon looked up but he didn't say anything. "Yeah," Jesse nodded. "I'd love that."

"Are you sure that's OK?" Dom asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well we'll sort you out with something more permanent tomorrow then."

I just gave a slight nod before heading down to the basement. I went into Jesse's room and smiled. There were posters just like in Leon's room but there were huge piles of books everywhere. Looking a little closer I realised that they were all about cars and how they worked. His laptop was open amongst them and a program seemed to be installing.

"Finally," he breathed out as he went over it. "Damn thing kept crashing every time I tried to install it."

I chuckled lightly. "It's all so… _Nerdy_."

He looked up. "I'm just good at computers, but books seem to help… A little."

I dropped my bag on the floor and went to sit on the bed. I picked up the nearest book and flicked through it. I watched over the top of it as Jesse pushed some of the piles away and set up a bed on the floor. I put the book down and jumped on to the makeshift bed before Jesse could say anything.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "That bed is shit."

"It's for one night, I'll be fine."

"Are you and Leon OK?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," I muttered.

He went to say something but I made an excuse and left the room. When I got upstairs, Jesse followed me. I found the team all sitting around the living room. Leon came out from the kitchen just as Jesse stole the arm chair. Dom was at the end of the couch with Mia in the middle. Vince was at the other end however there was a small space between him and the end of the couch. Leon took the floor and I refused to sit near him so I plopped down in the small space between Vince and the end of the couch.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Don't complain," I mumbled.

"Does it look like I'm complaining?"

I shrugged. "Just figured you would."

He scooted over a little so I could get more comfortable. I looked at him, unsure. He hated me when he first met me. Even at my apartment he hated me but then now it seemed like he wasn't bothered with me. I could tell we would never get on properly but this was a definite start.

I tried to ignore Leon every time he looked over at me. I wasn't sure what to make of his expression but I knew for a fact that I didn't want to be near him. I was possibly over reacting but at that moment I just didn't care. I wriggled closer to Vince on impulse and he rested his arm across the back of the couch so I could have a little bit more space.

"Not gonna sit with your boyfriend?"

I froze when I saw he was motioning to Leon. "He's not my boyfriend," I muttered.

"No, that's Dom's job," Leon muttered. "Or that's what she hopes at least. We all know what he really wants though."

I noticed that Dom tensed up. "Excuse me?" he croaked.

"Ignore him, he's just being a dick."

Leon narrowed his eyes at me. "Well that kiss didn't look so innocent."

"What kiss?" Mia asked excitedly, but she was the only one that was.

"Yeah, they were stood there with their tongues down each other's throats," he rolled his eyes. "Apparently he hurt her shoulder, so I'm assuming he slammed you up against the wall, right?"

"Shut up," I whispered.

"Jealous, Leon?" Dom smirked. I could tell he was willing to play if that was what Leon wanted.

It all happened in a flash. Leon was off the floor and on Dom before anyone could react. They wrestled and I struggled to get up from my place on the couch. I managed to but I could already see blood. I squeezed between them and tried to push them apart.

"Stop it!" I screamed. Everyone froze out the sheer volume of my voice.

"Tell that to Leon," Dom muttered.

"You're both so childish," I said sternly. "Yeah, Dom and I kissed but I never said I wanted a relationship from him. Not like it should matter. I love that you care Leon but I can date whoever I want to."

"I don't care anymore," Leon spat.

I stared at him in shock and I saw his face falter slightly. "Fine," I mumbled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Vince chuckled. "So what, she kissed him! Big deal, get over it. If you wanted her you should have gone there before."

"I don't want her," he muttered angrily. "I just don't want him to have her. He's not good enough."

"Who said he even wanted me?" I asked. "I never said I wanted him either."

"You don't?" Dom asked, surprised.

I rolled my eyes. "I've never thought about it."

"That doesn't sound like a no," Leon commented before storming off to the basement.

"Leon," I said helplessly as he walked away.

Dom laid a hand on my good shoulder but I shrugged it off. I went towards the basement door but I stopped before it and shook my head. I wanted to talk to him, to find out what was wrong. One minute we were getting on so well then suddenly he hates me. I sighed helplessly as I went to sit on the floor in front of Jesse.

I hugged my knees and looked down at the floor as Jesse played with my hair. I felt like crying but having Jesse there managed to stop me. I felt Dom, Mia and Vince watching me but I refused to look at them. I just knew everything would turn out so shit like it always did.

* * *

"Get changed," Dom said as he stuck his head into Jesse's room.

"No," I mumbled as I rolled over.

"Look you didn't eat and it's been hours since what happened with Leon," he sighed. "So I'm dragging you out to go to the races."

I looked over at him, suddenly more interested. "The races?"

He nodded. "So get your ass ready."

I didn't move right away after he left but eventually I managed to drag myself off of the bed. I took my sling off and headed for the shower. I managed to get through it but when I came out I bumped into Leon. I gulped and grasped tightly at the towel wrapped around me. His eyes wandered over me but I skipped pass him before they could reach my face.

I took a deep breath as I got into Jesse's room before throwing my clothes into my bag. I dried off and towel dried my hair before folding the towels up neatly. I slipped on a pair of tight black jeans, and a white vest top that stopped just above my belly button with a red and black checked shirt over the top. I left the buttons undone and rolled the sleeves up a little. I slipped on a pair of converse. A bad habit of mine, I always wore flats, easier to run away.

I cursed when I put the sling back on. It ruined everything. I debated for a moment before I took it off again and threw it to the side. I had been in worse, didn't listen to the treatment and came out just fine before. So I'm sure not wearing the damn thing for a while would be fine.

I looked in Jesse's small mirror to see that my hair was already drying pretty well and the curls were starting to form. I settled on applying a thin layer of foundation. Once satisfied with that I applied some black eyeliner and red lipstick.

I put my wallet into my pocket with my phone and headed upstairs. I heard someone wolf-whistle as I entered the living room. I was shocked to see that it was Vince.

"What?" he shrugged. "We may not be best friends but I'm still a man."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks… I think."

"You need to wear heels with that," Mia whined.

"I don't have heels Mia, they're harder to runaway in."

"Runaway from what?"

I turned around without meaning to to look at Leon. "Everything."

He nodded. "So nothing specific?"

"Leon," I mumbled.

"Who are you riding with?" Dom asked but the way he stepped towards me gave me the impression that he wanted me to go with him.

"She's riding with me," Leon said clearly.

"Excuse me?" I choked out.

"You heard." He wrapped an arm around my waist. "She's riding with me tonight."

I was in too much of a daze to argue as he guided me outside to his car. We climbed into it and I watched as everyone got into theirs with the exception of Mia getting into Vince's. I looked out of the window as we drove away.

"You only suggested it because you didn't want me to ride with him, right?" I asked quietly.

For a second I thought he wasn't going to say anything but then he nodded. "Well, sort of. I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"About?"

"Look, maybe I did overreact about you and Dom," he whispered. "But I have this strange urge to protect you all the time."

I nodded but said no more as we pulled up at the meet up point. I let him leave the car but I stayed behind. I knew we would be moving on and I really didn't think my legs were strong enough to leave the car just yet. I watched from my vantage point as Vince and Mia stayed together, Dom went over to talk to some people, Leon stayed by the car and Jesse looked at the ones around him.

I fiddled with my hair which was now completely dry. I grasped the edge of a curl, pulled it and then watched as it flew from my fingers and curled back up again. I found my eyes wondering over to Dom but then I would feel guilty and look back over at Leon. What the hell did I have to feel guilty for?

I smiled awkwardly at Leon as he climbed back into the car. He returned it with a small smile as he drove on. I tried to relax into the seat as we picked up speed. I found myself shuffling a lot and when the car stopped for the second time I practically jumped from it.

I was surprised when I was instantly stormed by a group. I rolled my eyes when I noticed that they were all men. I was polite, spoke to them and even let a few stand close to me. I tried not to chuckle when Dom came over flanked by half naked women.

"Scram," he muttered.

They didn't seem to care but then scarpered when they realised who it was. I leaned casually against Leon's car, my arms folded across my chest. He glanced at the skanks around him before stepping closer to me. My breath hitched as he pressed himself against me.

"People will talk," I whispered.

"I haven't done anything yet," he smirked.

"Bit close, aren't you?"

"I could be closer."

I gulped. "Maybe I don't want you to."

He smirked. "You enjoyed that kiss just as much as I did."

"Kisses," I corrected but then cursed myself silently.

He chuckled. "I told you."

I pushed him lightly but he caught my hand and pulled me up. He brushed his lips across mine softly. I sighed happily against the touch but he turned and walked towards his car. I blushed frantically at all the looks I seemed to be getting, not all of them good.

"They're just jealous 'cause they're not next," Leon said as he came to stand with me.

I shrugged. "They could be next."

"But you want to be," he commented then whispered softly. "Do you really not care if you're just another one night stand?"

"Not really," I shrugged. "I know it would be a mutual thing so it doesn't bother me."

I shivered as Leon took my hand in his. "I'm sorry."

I looked over at him. "I'm sorry too."

"Harper, I-"

But he was cut off by some shouting. He muttered angrily before releasing my hand. I rubbed it and frowned. He checked the scanners in his car for a few moments before he shouted that it was all clear. I heard the engines but I didn't care much about the race, I wanted to know what Leon was about to say.

"Le-"

"One minute," he mumbled as he fiddled with the scanner repeatedly.

It seemed important enough so I decided to keep quiet. I saw him sigh with relief when the race ended. He seemed more relaxed listening to the scanner now. I tried to talk to him again but I was pulled away by a pair of strong arms.

I twirled round to see Dom. "Let me guess… You won?"

He nodded, big grin on his face. "Like it could be any other way."

I rolled my eyes but I shuddered as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I tried to ignore the watching (and still cheering) crowd. I watched in awe as he licked his lips slowly. I tried to look away but then suddenly he was kissing me. I smiled against it as he squeezed me tightly.

It was at that moment that Leon decided to warn us about cops. I pulled completely away from him but kept my eyes on him. We watched each other until I felt someone pulling me away. I turned to see Leon and I allowed him to drag me over to his car.

I had barely closed the door when he zoomed off. I watched around in awe as he dodged two police cars then did a handbrake-turn in order to avoid a third car. It took a while for me to notice that we weren't heading towards the Toretto's.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere quiet till the cops disappear," he said absent-mindedly.

I watched as he pulled up a few blocks away in an abandoned car park. It wasn't covered very well. I turned to ask him about it but he was already out of the car. I got out too and joined him as he sat on the hood. I decided to lie back and rest my hands on my stomach.

"There's not much coverage here," I commented.

"We'll be fine," he whispered. I noticed his eyes were trained on my revealed stomach.

"I can do the shirt up if you want?" I offered.

He shook his head. "You're good."

"Leon," I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You were going to say something earlier, what was it?"

"Later," was all he said.

I didn't want to wait till later but I said nothing more. He moved to lie down beside me and I instinctively shuffled closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, being careful not to add too much pressure to my bad one.

We were there for almost an hour when we finally decided it would be best to get back. When we did arrive we walked in together but Leon was instantly dragged away by some skank. I scowled in her direction but then realised how stupid I was being.

I wandered around for a bit, trying to blend in as best as I could. I noticed Mia wasn't around and figured she was probably upstairs in her room. I danced with Jesse for a bit before I sat down with a beer and listened to Vince play his guitar.

I only stopped when I saw Leon go out back on his own. I finished my beer and set it down before following him outside. I found him sitting on the grass, picking at it. I timidly walked over to him and sat down beside him.

"Is it later yet?" I asked quietly.

He seemed to debate it but then he nodded. "Sure."

"What were you going to say?" I prompted.

"I need to try something first."

"Wha-"

I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence as his lips came crashing down on mine. I didn't know what to do as he gently pushed me to lie down. Frozen by fear, I couldn't move as he hovered above me. I finally kissed him back when he pulled away. My stomach twisted at the sad look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I figured," he mumbled as he pulled away.

"Leon…"

"I was angry before because some stupid part of me was hoping you would want me, not him."

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

He shrugged and collapsed back onto the grass. "No, I knew all along, just thought I'd be sure before I completely rejected the idea of their being an us."

"I'll go…"

But he grasped my hand before I could move. "No. I need you," he said quietly.

"Then I'll stay," I whispered.

"I'm glad we're friends," he said happily, but his eyes still looked sad.

"Harper!"

"Dom wants you," he mumbled.

"I'd rather stay with you," I said softly.

He shook his head. "Go, and tell me how things went afterwards."

I doubted that he would want to know but I could tell he wanted to be on his own. I kissed his cheek softly and watched as his eyes closed. I pushed myself up and wandered back to the house.

I found Dom in the kitchen. He grinned when he saw me and made his way over. I instantly moved closer to him as he wrapped his arms around my waist. This time I reached up and kissed his lips softly. I tried not to chuckle at his shocked expression as his grip tightened on me.

He pulled away and looked at me. I tried not to look away as he did but eventually I looked down. He took hold of my hand and dragged me through the living room towards the stairs. I smiled at Jess as we passed him and he watched as we went up the stairs. I only faltered ever so silently when we hit Dom's bedroom door, but after a moment I pushed it opened and walked ahead.


	12. Chapter 12

My breath caught a little as I heard the door shut behind me. Seconds later, Dom's arms were wrapped tightly around my waist. I felt myself relax and I leaned against his chest as he kissed my neck. I could really smell the alcohol on his breath now. Was he drunk?

But all questions like that were pushed aside as he sucked lightly on my neck. I sunk against him and let my eyes close slowly. I felt him grin against my neck before he pulled me over to the bed.

"Dom." I only just managed to get it out as he wrapped his arms around me and moved to kiss me.

"Mmm?"

"You're drunk," I protested as I pushed away.

"And?"

He was right. We both wanted this. It didn't matter who remembered what the next day or whether it turned into more or not.

I let him pull me close again. His lips came crashing down on mine the second our bodies were pressed against one another. I kicked off my shoes, as did he, before I shrugged out of my shirt. He pulled away from me to lift his top over his head, and I took the opportunity to do the same with my vest top.

"Oh." I tried not to laugh at his shocked expression as he took in my chest.

I smirked up at him as he snaked his arm behind me to undo the clasp. He threw my bra carelessly aside and I shuddered as his mouth came down. An involuntary moan escaped my lips as his tongue rolled slowly over my nipple. And the moans became more frequent as he palmed the other one softly.

"Dom." It came out in a gasp.

He looked up, a mysterious grin on his face. I looked at him, unsure. But then he tugged at my jeans and I helped to wriggle myself out of them. As he removed his own and his boxers I took the time to removed my underwear.

I licked my lips as I took a good look at him. His grin turned into a cocky one when he caught my staring. I stepped closer and wrapped my hand around his length. He shivered and slowly started to moan as I stroked him slowly. I pushed him back as I did until he reached the bed.

I let go of him and he climbed back onto the bed. I pushed his chest so that he would lay down. Once he was lying down I straddled him. His hands ran down my sides, causing me to shiver. I leaned down and kissed him fiercely. I felt his tongue run across my bottom lip, and I reached mines out to meet it.

"Please." I was shocked by the small plead but at the same time it made me feel so powerful.

I moved away slightly. I took a hold of him in my hand and slowly lowered myself onto him. I pushed onto him slightly but stopped near the tip. He groaned in frustration but I just smiled at him. Suddenly he grabbed my hips and thrust up into me. I gasped as I felt the whole of him inside of me. I laid my hands on his chest and dug my nails into him. He responded by doing the same to my hips.

Whenever I lowered myself he would push up to meet me. I clamped my eyes shut as our speed got quicker and each thrust became more intense. My moans got louder as he reached up and repeatedly ran his thumb over my left nipple. Our breathing became more rapid as I felt close to the edge.

"Dom..." I couldn't say anymore than that but he seemed to be pleased with the fact that I was saying his name.

I clamped down around him as I came. His eyes went wide and his grip tightened on my hips. He continued to thrust in and out of me at rapid speeds.

"Fuck, Harper," he hisses as his own release washed over.

My nails dug deeper into his chest and I only loosened my grip as he slowed his movements. Eventually he stopped completely and I leaned down to kiss his lips softly. His hand came up to stroke my cheek before he moved his lips to kiss my shoulder.

I collapsed beside him and he turned on his side to face me. He ran his thumb over my bottom lip and I couldn't help but smile.

"You're good at that," he chuckled. He had a goofy smile and the alcohol was still strong on his breath.

I looked up at the ceiling but I could still feel his eyes on me. "You were pretty good yourself."

"We should do it again."

I thought the suggestion through and tried to ignore the urge to just go for it. "This either stays a onetime thing or we make a proper go of things. I'm not being a regular to sort your needs."

"Proper go doesn't sound too bad."

I looked over at him in shock but his eyes were closed and seconds later a light snore escaped his lips. I leaned over and kissed his cheek before pulling the covers up to wrap around us.

* * *

I woke up groggy and confused. I felt a headache coming on but I knew it would pass fairly quickly. I hadn't drunk that much the night before so I was confident that it would pass. I rubbed my eyes and looked over to see Dom asleep on his front. I watched him as everything from last night came flooding back. Not wanting to be there when he woke up I slowly climbed out of bed. I slipped on my shirt and buttoned it up before slipping my underwear on. I carried the rest of my clothes and headed for the bathroom.

I ran the shower, stripped down again and hopped in. I allowed the water to flow over me before I washed my hair. I used what I assumed could only be Mia's soap and shampoo. I stayed in till the water started to burn my skin. When I climbed out I sat on the edge of the bath. I hadn't brought a towel in and to be honest it just felt nice to sit there. I wrung my hair out over the bath and grabbed the brush from the counter top.

I only moved from the bath when I felt numb. My body was dry but my hair was damp and loose curls were starting to form. I slipped on my clothes and ran my fingers through my hair. I cleaned up the bathroom before I left it.

I went downstairs in the hopes of getting my bag from Jesse's room so I could change. But when I went to go into the basement I heard noises in the kitchen. I dropped my hand and headed that way instead.

"What time is it?" I asked when I saw it was Leon.

"About 9." He didn't turn around from the coffee he was making.

I made my way over to him and sat up on the counter. "Doesn't feel that early."

He looked me over once before taking a sip of his coffee. "You must be like me. I always get up early after parties."

"Yeah, it's funny, isn't it? Doesn't matter how much I drink or what I do, I still find myself getting up early. But I'm all for sleeping in, don't get me wrong."

He nodded as he leaned against the counter. "I know what you mean."

"How was your night?"

"I stayed out after you left then Jess came out to see me. I went off with some girl after that. I love Jess and all but he can be a bit much at times."

I nodded but my stomach kept tightening at the thought of him going off with some girl. It wasn't that I didn't like it because I wished it was me but it was more because I didn't want him to be with just anybody. He deserved someone decent, loyal and amazing.

"We didn't do much though." I felt my stomach loosen at that. "We got downstairs but before we got to it I changed my mind. It was too weird."

"How so?"

"I'd rather not say." It was barely a whisper, I almost missed it. "How was your night?"

I coughed awkwardly. "Good."

"That all?" he raised an eyebrow as he put his coffee down. He came to stand in front of my and I parted my legs so he could stand between them. "You do remember what happened last night, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It all came flooding back when I saw who I was lying next to. But I don't tend to discuss it or think about it the next day if it's only a onetime thing." I cursed as my voice broke on the last bit.

"Harper, what aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing." I tried to look down but he lifted my head. "Seriously, Le. He just said some things."

I felt him tense and I knew he thought it was bad. "Things?"

"That we should do it again," I explained. "But I said it would have to be a onetime thing or we'd make a proper go of things... And he said making a proper go of things didn't sound too bad."

He seemed to relax, but only slightly. "You don't seem too confident about all that."

"He was drunk." I closed my eyes, too scared to see what his expression would be like."

"You wanted a one night stand, right?" It was hard to ignore the strain in his voice.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Harper, look at me."

I opened my eyes and he was closer than I expected. He smiled sadly and leaned over to kiss me. It was over before it really began.

"Don't think about it too much then. If he remembers, he remembers."

I smiled. "Yeah, I don't get why I'm thinking about it so much. I don't even really know if I want a relationship again."

"Can I ask why?"

"He was a jerk. And I stuck by his side even after we broke up. It turned into a casual thing."

"You don't seem like the type." He seemed embarrassed to admit it.

"There's a lot you don't know about me Leon." He frowned at that and went to move away but I pulled him back. "That doesn't mean I don't want you to know."

He looked up at me and smiled. "Come on you, let's watch some TV for a bit."

"I just need to go downstairs and get changed."

He nodded before grabbing his coffee and leaving the kitchen. I hopped off the counter and quietly made my way down to the basement. I crept quietly into Jesse's room and picked up my bag. I took it into Leon's room in order to change. I chose to put on a pair of black denim shorts and a purple v-neck.

When I got upstairs Leon was already sat on the couch watching TV. He was just finishing his coffee and had set it aside when I came to sit beside him. He put his arm across the back of the couch and I shuffled closer to him. He handed me the remote and I flicked through till I found something I was sure we would both enjoy.

After an hour of watching TV I grabbed his mug and went into the kitchen to make some more. When I came back out I handed him his and he took a sip before taking mine to put them both on the small table beside him. I went to sit down but I heard someone come down the stairs.

Dom came into the room and when he saw me he froze. I gulped but then he smiled and I smiled back. He went to walk pass but then saw that I wasn't moving. He looked between Leon and I.

"How was your night?" Leon asked as he looked between us.

He looked at me then nodded. "It was fun."

"I know what happened," Leon muttered as he focused on the TV.

"Yeah, it's coming back in pieces for me," he admitted.

I felt my stomach drop, but it was Leon who spoke. "Yeah, you never came down afterwards." I glared at him as he said it.

"Yeah, I think I fell asleep." He rubbed the back of his neck and yawned.

"Figured you stayed up there talking or something," Leon shrugged. He was clearly trying to make it seem casual.

"I don't think so." He paused to look at me. "Did we?"

I wanted to scream. How could I have been so stupid to think he meant what he said or even to believe that he would remember? I wasn't angry with him, I was angry with myself. The entire time I told myself that he was drunk and it was a onetime thing. But afterwards and the whole of this morning I kept getting excited at the prospect that he might actually be interested in me long term. I looked at Leon who was watching me intently.

"No," I sighed. "You fell asleep and I decided to just sleep there. I hope that's OK?"

He nodded. "But are you sure we didn't? Because it's just taking it's time to come back to me."

"We didn't, I think we were just too tired to talk." I threw in a sickly sweet smile and he bought it.

As he walked towards the kitchen I looked towards it. I felt Leon's hand grab mine and he pulled me down. I settled beside him and he lifted my legs to lie across him. He laid one hand on my knee and hugged me close with his other arm.

I laid my head on his shoulder. I couldn't help but feel angry with myself for getting my hopes up. I was shaking before I realised how angry I had actually become. I looked up and Leon was watching me intently. He rubbed my arm softly until the shaking subsided.

"It's myself I'm angry at." I felt like I had to explain.

After a few moments of no response I looked up at him, I swear, if looks could kill. I gulped as his grip tightened on me.


	13. Chapter 13

His grip on me only got tighter and my shoulder crushed against his side. I winced at the pain that followed but Leon didn't loosen his grip. He stared straight towards the kitchen, eyes narrowed and breathing loud.

"Stop," I whimpered.

He tensed and looked down at me before slowly loosening his grip. He moved so he was facing me and slowly rubbed my shoulder. I relaxed a little against his touch, although it was difficult seen as he was looking intently at the kitchen.

"I don't want him to remember," I whispered. "I don't."

"How could he forget?"

"It's not like he forgot what he did, just what he said."

"Dom was only ever serious about commitment with Letty. It's not like him to say that something more with you isn't so bad," he sighed.

"We were drunk, I'm not angry, so why are you?"

"You didn't look too thrilled," he commented.

"I was a little shocked sure, but I was upset with myself for starting to believe that he would even remember anything this morning."

"I'd remember everything," he mumbled.

"You can't be sure of that," I said softly.

He smiled at me as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I can."

"Leon," I mumbled.

He moved away and sunk into his seat. "Sorry..."

I moved his arm and placed the nearest cushion on to his lap. I laid down and put my head on the cushion. I rolled onto my back and he placed his hand on my stomach.

I tensed as Dom came over to the couch. I felt Leon tense too and I hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid. I bent my knees so that my feet came off the last seat. He gave me a small smile before sitting down. He drank some of his coffee then put it on the table. I almost gasped when he grabbed my feet. I watched him closely and he placed them across his lap. To say I felt awkward was an understatement.

"Surprised you two made up so fast," Dom said after a while.

"Why?" Leon asked through clenched teeth.

"You seemed pretty pissed off with her."

"Yeah, but I care about her too much."

"Still. You were pretty angry, and I thought you said you didn't care?"

"I was angry when I said that," Leon muttered. "I don't give up on people so easily."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Guys," I whispered.

"Let me rephrase and maybe you'll understand," Leon said angrily. "I don't give up on girls so easily, I don't just use them and toss them."

"This is about her, isn't it?" Dom laughed as he motioned to me.

"I am here," I mumbled.

"Who says it is?"

"Get over it. It's clear she ain't interested. Put it this way, she definitely wasn't thinking about you last night."

It happened all too quickly. Leon scrambled to get at Dom, causing him to react in the same way. I was thrown off the couch and I crawled away. I sat with my back against the wall as they both threw some punches. I stood up and watched as they continued to fight.

"Guys!" I yelled. "Stop it!"

"Harper?" Jesse asked sleepily as he came up from the basement.

"Jess, help!"

He looked at the three of us and shook his head, he looked petrified.

"What the fuck is going on down here?" Vince asked, he ran down as Leon was shoved into the wall.

"Make them stop," I pleaded.

"Please tell me they're not fighting because of you."

"Does it matter? Just stop them."

Vince rolled his eyes and I watched as he tried to get between them. Leon's lip was cut and his eye was already starting to swell. He'd probably have more cuts and bruises than I could see. Dom had some marks himself. Cuts, bruises and even a swollen jaw.

I backed away as Vince fought with them. I hit the front door and I was out of it before I could think. I walked for a block then ran another three. I stopped at a small bench near a bus stop. I tried to catch my breath as I looked around. It was empty, there was nothing around except a few buildings. There were no signs so I wasn't even sure what the buildings were.

"You're place looks like hell."

"How the hell did you find me?" I demanded as Lewis sat beside me.

"Couple of my boys saw you running and I just happened to be nearby."

"You following me?"

He shook his head. "Pure coincidence. Walk with me?"

I knew saying no would be the stupidest thing I could possibly do so instead I nodded.

"You're still going to race for me."

"I may have to pass," I mumbled. "I hurt my shoulder."

Suddenly I was pushed down the nearby alley. I was grabbed before I hit the floor but was swung around and thrown against the wall. I found it hard to breathe as my back hit the wall with extreme force. I gasped as Lewis held his arm tightly to my throat. I clawed at his arm but he wouldn't let go.

"Hurt your shoulder, huh?" He pressed my good shoulder. "Nope, not that one. Maybe this one."

I screamed as he grabbed my other shoulder and slammed it hard against the wall. I kicked out but it did no good.

"Doesn't look that bad to me."

He went to attack my shoulder again but I held my hands up. "Wait!"

"Hmm?"

"I'll race whenever."

"And?"

"I'll make sure I win."

He nodded, happy with my answer. "The race may move up. I'll come to you, so be ready."

"Sounds good," I croaked.

He let go of me and I slid down the wall. He picked me up and held me till I was able to stand on my own. He patted my cheek before walking away.

"Dick," I muttered angrily as I rubbed my shoulder.

I waited a while before stepping out of the alley. I repeatedly rubbed my shoulder and thought around for something to do. I couldn't go to the hospital because I didn't have my phone or wallet on me. I could go back but that thought wasn't appealing. Then it hit me, Richie.

I started walking as I thought about him. I had met Richie while I was with Lewis. He helped the team out medically whenever we weren't so lucky. The team were a piece of cake next to Lewis but Richie was genuinely a friend. He was twenty-three but from the look of him you wouldn't be able to tell. He had short brown hair and pale skin. He was skinny and shorter than you'd expect, he was always in baggy clothes so it emphasised all of that. I hadn't seen Richie in over a year when I left Lewis and the others. I wondered how much he would've changed, and I only prayed that he would still be in the same place and willing to help.

After an hour of walking I stopped. The street was a lot nicer than I remembered. I walked slowly up to the front door and knocked hard. I waited, dragging my foot back and forth across the pavement.

"This is getting ridiculous!" He shouted but then froze when he noticed me. "Harper?"

"Hey, Rich," I smiled, he hadn't changed a bit.

He pulled me inside quickly and shut the door. I watched as he studied me. "What can I do you for, kid?"

"Kid?" I asked, amused.

He shrugged. "You are."

"I'm nineteen, Rich, I'm not a kid," I sighed. "And you never used to think I was."

"I had to pretend like you were though," he said as the led the way to the living room.

"Why?"

He sat down on the couch and motioned for me to join. "Lewis told us all that you were off limits. Pretending you were a kid would remind me how innocent and vulnerable you were."

"I wasn't any of those things."

"I was there, Harper."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know."

He smiled as he patted my leg. Before asking again, "so, what can I do for you?"

"My shoulder. I couldn't get to the hospital and I can't afford to go again so I was wondering if you could take a look."

"Which one?" I motioned to the correct one as he shuffled closer. "Take your top off."

"Erm..."

"Come on, Harper. I've seen it all before, it'll allow me to get a better look."

I reluctantly gave in and pulled my top off with the help of Richie. He pulled my bra strap down and prodded my shoulder gently. I winced but he didn't stop.

"Did you ever get this seen to?"

I nodded. "It was hit by a brick, I got it seen to then. It was a bad fracture, but if it was hit any harder it could've broke."

"But?"

"I haven't worn my sling for a couple of days or so, and it was slammed into a wall an hour ago."

"You should wear the sling but I don't think it's broken," he decided. "I'll give you some painkillers and make up a sling for you."

I nodded as he disappeared from the room. "Thanks."

He came back and handed me a glass of water with some painkillers. I took them as he made a sling out of bandages.

"It's weird seeing you without bruises all over," he said as he unravelled my top. "It's a relief."

"He never hit me," I said quietly.

"Yeah, but he pushed you all too far. Especially you."

I didn't say anything and he helped me to put my top back on. I then held the sling into place and he tied it up behind my neck. We both sat cross-legged, facing each other on the couch.

"You could've left them all sooner."

"No, I couldn't have."

He nodded. "If you came with me you could have."

"Maybe," I smiled. "I have missed you though."

"I've missed you too. I would've visited but I never knew where you were."

"I'm staying with some friends at the moment."

"Want me to drive you back to them?"

I thought about it for a moment before nodding. "If you don't mind?"

"Of course not," he chuckled. "And take these."

He threw me the bottle of painkillers as he took the rest of the bandages and glass of water into the kitchen. I picked up the bottle and pushed them into my pocket. When he came back into the room he was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a plain white top and black boots. He pulled on a leather jack and threw me a jumper.

"It's starting to rain," he explained.

I pulled off my sling and he rolled his eyes before coming over to help me. We got the jumper on and it was like a tent. It kept falling off one shoulder, it came to my knees and I had to roll the sleeves up about eight times before my hands could be seen.

"You need smaller clothes," I commented.

"I like the extra room," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Still, they're massive."

"Stop complaining," he chuckled. "And you always did look good in my clothes."

"Guys are all the same," I smiled as I walked pass him.

We got out to his car and I gave him directions as we drove. He kept asking questions about who I was with, why I was there and generally what I had been up to since we last saw each other. I didn't answer any of them. I was never one to keep things from Richie but I didn't feel like answering a whole bunch of questions.

"You don't have to come in," I told him as we arrived.

"I want to meet these people and make sure you get in OK."

He was out of the car before I could argue. I mumbled to myself as I got out and led the way up to the house. I paused at the door. It seemed quiet inside, maybe they'd killed each other. I looked at the driveway and all of the cars were there, with mine and Leon's on the road. I didn't bother knocking as I opened the front door and led the way into the living room.

"Where the hell have you been?" Dom demanded as he noticed me.

"Out."

"Be specific."

"Out," I repeated as I looked around. Everyone was there except Leon. "Where is he?"

"Don't worry, he's alive," he smiled.

"Don't look so smug."

"He had it coming," he chuckled. "And he's downstairs, probably sulking."

"So did you," Leon said as he came out of the basement. He looked pretty beat up, but then again, so did Dom. He ran a hand through wet hair. "I went for a shower and to check out the damage."

"You OK?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah," he said as he smirked at Dom.

"Don't smirk at him," I snapped. "I'm angry with the both of you."

"You know he deserved it," Leon muttered.

"Anyone want to clarify why?" Dom asked. "I did think it was because he was jealous, but I'm sensing more."

I looked at Leon and he shook his head. "I kept my mouth shut."

"About?" Dom asked curiously.

"Nothing," I smiled.

"Don't lie, tell me."

"There's nothing to tell," I said casually.

"You have two guys fighting over you," Richie said with a nod of approval. "Seems like some things don't change."

"Who the fuck is he?" Dom demanded.

"He's my friend," I said angrily. "Richie."

Vince moved to get a better look, he looked unimpressed just like Leon and Dom. Jesse and Mia also looked, but out of curiosity.

"And they shouldn't be fighting over me," I told Richie. "I hate to say it but Leon knows I'm not interested like that. And Dom and I had a onetime thing."

"That's a bad habit," Richie chuckled. "You should settle."

"Onetime thing?" Dom asked sadly.

"Well yeah," I nodded. "I'm not just going to sleep with you whenever you need it."

"Nice to see you want something more serious these days," Richie nodded with approval.

"Shut up, Richie," I snapped, but he only chuckled lightly in response.

I looked at Dom and his eyes grew wide. "Shit."

"Remembering something from last night?" Leon smirked.

"Harper," Dom breathed out as he reached out towards me. "What I said..."

I moved away. "Yeah, you didn't mean it, I know."

"What's wrong?" Richie asked, no longer looking amused as he stepped closer.

"Nothing, thanks for the ride, Rich."

"You still have my number?" He asked, eyes never leaving Dom.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

"Make sure you call me."

I nodded. "I will do."

He hesitated before he kissed the top of my head and left. I wanted to run after him, to go with him but I stopped myself from doing it. Dom was still watching me and I started to feel uncomfortable.

"Dom, forget about it. I have."

"I wouldn't have said if I di-"

"Don't say if you didn't mean it. We both know you didn't. Plus, I knew you were drunk and I went along with it."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."

"Now you understand why I acted the way I did," Leon chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm kind of glad you did now," Dom admitted. "How you feeling?"

"Sore, but from the looks of things I got in a few good punches as well."

"Yeah, I feel like my face is on fire," Dom smiled.

"So we're all OK with each other again?" I asked.

"Thank God," Mia giggled. "I'm going to make some food for everyone."

"I'll help," Jesse squeaked as he followed her into the kitchen.

Leon came over and kissed my temple. "You OK?"

"That's my amusement for today ruined," Vince grumbled.

"I'm fine," I said, ignoring Vince. "But I don't want to be here"

"Well let's go downstairs, we can get your hair dried and some dry clothes."

I nodded as Leon took my hand. I refused to look at Dom as I passed. When we got to the basement I allowed Leon to help me take off Richie's jumper and my top. I noticed he tried not to look as I laid back on the bed.

"I'm gonna get your bag from Jesse's room," he said nervously.

I nodded as he went and got it. I stayed where I was as I waited. He sighed when he saw me. He put the bag down before pulling me to sit up. He grabbed a grey tank and helped me to put it on. He then grabbed my black sweater and put that on me too. I smiled as he turned around. I placed my pain killers on the bed then wriggled out of my shorts and put a pair of jeans on.

When Leon turned back around he grabbed my wet clothes and disappeared. I put the pills back into my pocket When he came back he no longer had them but instead he had a towel. I took it from him and towel dried my hair before running a brush through it. I folded the towel and put it aside. I then put the sling back on.

"Stop looking so happy."

"Sorry." But his smile only grew. "But did you see his face when he remembered everything?"

I pushed him but I couldn't help but smile. "It's not funny."

"Maybe he did mean it..."

"Don't do that," I warned. "Now let's go get food."

I led the way but I could hear him trying not to laugh behind me. When we got upstairs I groaned as everyone was sat around the table but the two free seats were next to Dom and across from him. Leon patted my back as he sat next to him and I slowly went to sit across from him. I smiled awkwardly at him but for the rest of the meal he kept watching me. I had the strongest urge to reach across the table and slap him.


	14. Chapter 14

I dragged my fork backwards and forwards across my plate, pushing around the food that was left. I only stopped when Vince grabbed my hand and forcibly removed the fork from it. I glared at him but he just glared right back. I slumped in my chair while I waited for everyone else to finish. Leon sent me a small smile as he ate which I returned.

I went to drum my fingers on the table but Vince looked sideways at me so I drew my hand back. He nodded happily before pushing his own plate away. He got up and I sighed with relief. He smirked then tapped my shoulder before motioning for me to follow him. I gulped and caught Jesse trying not to laugh. I narrowed my eyes at him before following Vince outside.

We sat down on the steps out front and I reluctantly sat beside him. I leaned back onto my arms after a few moments. The silence was almost unbearable but I didn't want to say or do anything that would piss him off.

"Why are we out here?" I finally asked.

"You were obviously bored and it was irritating me."

"Yeah," I nodded. "But you could have just told me to leave. Why are you out here too?"

He looked at me and I almost choked when he smiled. "Maybe I was bored too."

I thought about it for a moment, he watched me closely and I hated the feeling of being on display. I wrapped my arms around me. "Why do you hate me?" It was a question that had been nagging me for a while.

"You almost tore my family apart."

"I never wanted that," I said sadly. "I was told such horrible things about you guys."

"I heard you don't trust cops," he said, eyebrow raised.

"I don't," I agreed. "But I wasn't exactly thinking straight, I couldn't go back to jail again."

"How did a girl like you end up in a life like this?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I whispered.

He stayed quiet for a moment and when he spoke I was shocked. "My Dad nearly killed my Mom once. He went to prison, and she was in hospital for months. After rehab she decided she wanted to leave here, I didn't want to so she left me too. Mr T, Dom and Mia's Dad, took me in and let me work at the garage so I could pay him back for it."

"I'm sorry." I was unsure of what to say, I hadn't expected him to just come out and say that.

"I haven't seen her since," he chuckled. "Good riddance is all I can say."

"I was swapped constantly between care homes and foster homes since I was about eight," I told him.

"Is it as bad as they say?"

"It can be," I smiled.

"I'm assuming you being swapped around constantly means it wasn't good for you…?"

"You'd be assuming right," I nodded. "But that's all I'm telling you."

"I get that, I don't like to talk about my past much either."

"You seemed to share a lot just then," I pointed out.

He smiled. "Tip of the iceberg."

"Shit, sorry..."

It went silent again for a few moments before he spoke. "I don't hate you."

I stood up and paced a little before I faced him. "Could've fooled me."

He rolled his eyes. "Things can change."

"Do you want me here?"

"They do."

"That's not what I asked."

"I don't know what you want me to say," he mumbled as he looked down.

I walked over to him and stood between his parted legs. "V, do you want me here or not?"

"Would it matter if I didn't?"

"I'd leave if you didn't."

He eyed me suspiciously. "Sounds to me like you want a way out..."

"I never said that," I mumbled, looking away.

He grabbed my hips and pulled me down to sit on his leg. He forcibly turned my head to look at him. I tried not to look at him but I gave in and looked. He was watching me. I wanted to crawl away, his look was questioning and his hands were digging into my hips.

"I will not be your scapegoat," he said strongly.

"I never asked you to be," I whispered.

"Then why does it sound like you're looking for a way out?"

I went for the only thing I knew would affect him. "I almost tore your family apart."

"Don't use that."

"I keep messing things up for you all."

"Explain..."

"Well, like you said I almost tore your family apart, I made Jesse all hyper the first time I met him, I caused Dom and Leon to fight, I keep hurting Leon and yeah..."

"There's more to it, I can tell."

I wanted to tell him about Lewis and the upcoming race but I didn't want to drag them into my life. That was the real reason I wanted a way out. I didn't want them to be part of my life when it still seemed to involve Lewis. They didn't deserve that but I doubted they would let me leave if they knew.

"It doesn't matter," I sighed. "I'm just being stupid."

"Good, because you're not allowed to leave." He released his grip on me and relaxed.

"Why not?"

"According to them you're family," he shrugged. "It wouldn't end well if you left."

"It's only you and me to get on now," I smiled.

"Really?" he questioned, unsure.

"Well yeah, I don't see or speak to Mia much but we get along. I hit it off almost instantly with Leon and Jess, especially Leon. And well me and Dom, y'know..."

"Unfortunately yes I do know."

"It was a onetime thing."

"It's none of my business," he shrugged with an amused look on his face.

We lapsed back into silence again. I slowly started to become more conscious of the fact that I was still sitting on him. I wanted to move but I was afraid. He leaned back on his elbows and watched me for a moment before closing his eyes.

"That looks cosy."

Vince tilted his head back and I looked up. Dom had his arms crossed and he was leaning against the doorframe. I couldn't tell what he was thinking and it killed me. His eyes kept flickering between Vince and I, eventually his face changed, it was the same look he always gave Leon and I.

"We were just talking," Vince explained.

"And she ended up sitting on you how?"

"I put her there," he replied casually.

"I was just about to move," I whispered.

I went to move and Vince sat up. He put a hand on my lower back as I stood. I stepped away from him and gave him a small smile. I climbed up the stairs but as I reached the front door Dom didn't move. I looked at the ground and when I finally looked up he was watching me.

"You gonna move or what?" I asked.

"I'm thinking about it."

"Think faster," I urged.

"We need to talk."

"I don't think that we do." I tried to squeeze pass but he just moved to block my path.

"But I think we do."

I shook my head fiercely. "Drop it."

"She wants to leave," Vince decided to say.

I glared at him. "I never said that."

"Do you?" Dom asked.

I groaned. "Just for a bit."

"Why?"

"Don't ask her that," Vince laughed. "She won't give you a straight answer."

"I have things I need to sort out," I said sternly.

"Like?"

I pushed pass him. "It's none of your business."

I went over to the arm chair and curled up on it with Leon. He wrapped his arms around me and let me lay my legs across his. I rested my head against his shoulder and refused to look at either Vince or Dom as they came back in. I could feel their eyes on me but I wouldn't look. Eventually I closed my eyes and pretended like I was sleeping just so they couldn't ask questions.

* * *

An entire week passed before I got word from Lewis. He called and I reluctantly picked up the phone. He told me that the race would be some point this week, they had the car sorted so all I had to do was race when they came to get me. I tried to act casual while I was speaking on the phone, especially when Jesse came out to check on me. He had stayed with me for a long while after I hung up, I could tell he knew something was up but I just tried to play it off.

"When was the last time you said you raced?" Leon asked as we all sat in the living room.

I looked up, surprised. "A long time ago." It was almost true; I hadn't raced in over a year, since I was with Lewis.

"Maybe she could race tonight?" he suggest to Dom.

"Tonight?" I questioned

"There's a race tonight," Jesse said excitedly.

"Do you want to?" Dom asked me.

I wanted to so that I could get back into the feel of racing but I didn't want to get so hyped about this one that it affected my performance in Lewis' race. "When do I have to decide?"

"If you decide now then I can guarantee with Hector that you get in, but if you leave it to last minute then there's no guarantee."

"I'll leave it to the last minute," I decided. "I'm not even sure if I want to."

"We're going to see you race at some point," Jesse said as he nudged me. "We know you race so it's only natural that we need to see you race."

"I'm not even that good," I chuckled nervously.

Vince eyed me suspiciously. For a guy who wasn't too fond of me he seemed to notice whenever I wasn't being completely honest. I threw him a sweet smile and he rolled his eyes before focusing back on the TV.

We sat around for a while and I tried to figure out whether I should race or not. After a couple of hours Mia dragged me upstairs. She made me sit on her bed as she rummaged through her wardrobe and chest of drawers. She repeatedly threw items of clothing over her head so they landed on the bed.

"Now," she smiled. "Put all this into two piles. Things you would wear and things you wouldn't."

I looked at her unsurely but I did as I was told. I put a couple of skirts in the yes pile but put the rest in the no. I ignored Mia's frown as I put all the jeans into the yes pile. I put most of the shirts, vests and t-shirts in the yes pile and put all the dresses in the no.

"Well nothing will go with the skirts you picked," she sulked. "So they're out."

I smiled happily as I placed them on the no pile. "I do have my own clothes."

"Yes well, with my wardrobe I know what's in there," she explained as she shuffled through the yes pile and sorted it out. "These jeans would be the best."

I held them up. "It's a good thing we're about the same size."

I swapped into the jeans and studied them in the mirror. They were black and clung to be perfectly. I twisted to look at them from all angles before I nodded.

"Now, they'll go with any of these tops so pick," she said as she motioned to five tops.

I looked at them. One of them was a blue checked shirt with a small grey vest to go underneath, second was a low cut red top that I knew would show off more cleavage than need be, third was a short black top with rips across the chest, fourth was a strapless pink top that seemed to flow towards the bottom and fifth was a thin off the shoulder jumper with a white vest.

"How do you get away with owning clothes like this?"

"Dom is bossy but that doesn't mean I let him get away with telling me what to wear," she grinned. "Now the shirt I'm reluctant about that because you've worn that kind of thing before."

I pushed that over to the no pile. "Anything I need to know about the others?"

"The red one looks best without a bra," she commented. I grabbed it and hastily threw it to the no pile. I decided to do the same with the black top that had the rips across the chest. "So flowy or jumper, pick."

"Jumper."

"I should've just guessed."

I pulled the small white vest on first, it covered plenty and was comfortable, so no complaints there. The jumper was fine and navy blue with white in it. When I pulled it on it fell off one shoulder and hung dangerously low, I was happy to have the vest on underneath. The bottom of the jumper came to just above my belly button.

"Please tell me you've already been for a shower."

"Yeah, just before we all sat around," I said as I looked at myself in the mirror.

"Good," she nodded as she played with my hair. "Your hair looks amazing curly so we'll just leave it as it is. I would pin it up and do something fancy with it but I don't want anything to distract you in case you're going to race."

"And make-up?"

She pushed me to sit down. I rolled my eyes as she grabbed her make-up bag and came to sit with me. I held my hair back off of my face as she applied some foundation. Once she was done with that I relaxed. I closed my eyes as she applied some light brown eye shadow. I opened them up for her to apply some black eyeliner.

"That's enough," I said as I pulled away.

"I was only going to give you some lipstick and blush."

"What colour lipstick?"

"It'll be subtle," she promised.

I sighed and gave a slight nod. She clapped happily before rummaging through her make-up bag. I closed my eyes. I felt her apply pressure to my lips and I parted them slightly. I tried not to lick my lips when she was done. I rubbed them against each other, afterwards it felt like I wasn't wearing any anymore and I was worried I'd rubbed it off.

When I opened my eyes Mia held the mirror up. I liked my eyes, but that was always the case, and you couldn't tell I was wearing foundation. I focused on my lips last. She had used a pinky colour. She was right; it was subtle and hard to notice.

"I'll try not to question your judgement ever again," I smiled.

She grinned happily and passed me a pair of black boots. I was happy to see they were flats. "Are you taking a bag?"

"I wasn't planning on it, no."

"Hmm, just put this in your pocket then."

I took the lipstick from her outstretched hand and put it into one of the pockets. I pulled on the boots as she pulled on a pair of black denim shorts and the flowy top from before. I decided to just wait for her as she put on some make-up and made her hair wavy.

She pushed her phone and purse into her pockets. I took my own phone and wallet out of my clothes and put them into my pockets. I went to take my clothes so I could put them downstairs but she only told me to leave them. I then let her drag me downstairs to where everyone was waiting and already dressed.

"Hey you," Leon smiled as he came over.

I undid the first couple of buttons on his shirt. "Hey."

"Not in public," he teased as he looked down at his shirt.

I rolled my eyes as I walked pass him. He seemed pretty pleased with himself though. I smiled at Jesse as I stood beside him. He grinned at me and shuffled closer. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Who are you riding with?" Dom asked.

"Well if I'm racing then surely I should take my own car?"

"You're unsure," he shrugged. "So you can just use one of our cars."

"She'll ride with me," Leon decided.

"What if she rides with me?" Dom asked.

"Guys," I groaned.

"Shame she'll be riding with me then," Vince said as he came over and draped his arm around my shoulders.

I looked up at him. He had a habit of being my saviour lately. We'd learned to get on pretty well since our talk a week ago. We were far from being the best of friends but we had this understanding and it worked for us. I leaned into him and smiled.

"Yeah, looks like my ride is sorted."

He dropped his arm and headed for the front door. "But she ain't riding my car."

Typical Vince. "Like I'd want to ride that piece of shit," I called as I followed him out.

"Watch your mouth," he called back over his shoulder as we headed to his car.

"Or what?"

He whirled round and I jumped back slightly. His hand shot forward and grabbed my wrist. I followed him with my eyes as he leaned down and brought his lips to my ear. "Try it and find out."

I pushed him away with my free hand and went to walk round the car to my side but he pulled me back. "What do you want?" I muttered. "You're car is fine."

"You have to pick."

When I looked up he was motioning to Leon and Dom who were coming out of the house. "I don't know what you mean."

"Sure you don't."

"Look, Leon knows I don't like him like that, he just doesn't want Dom to have me," I sighed.

"And Dom?"

"We were a one night stand."

"But that's only because of what he said, right?"

I shrugged. "Does that matter?"

"You've got to do something, every time they argue or fight it's over you."

"I don't want that," I groaned. "Do you have a better idea of what I can do? Because they obviously don't listen."

He thought about it for a moment. "Just get in the car, I'll think of something."

I climbed in and he followed me in. "They should forget at the after party, right?"

"We'll see, nothing could shock me about them now," he sighed. "Do you even like Dom?"

"I thought I did," I shrugged.

"Then why don't you just let something happen?"

"I don't want anything to happen between us yet."

"Yet?" he questioned curiously. "What's going on with you?"

"I don't know what you mean," I smiled innocently.

"You're gonna have to spill at some point," he warned me. "That phone call Jesse heard, you wanting a way out, not wanting Dom _yet_, I could go on."

"I had a life before you lot," I said quietly. "My own secrets."

"With secrets comes lies," he commented. "You shouldn't lie to your family."

"Well I'm not spilling my secrets."

"Fine," he growled.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence as we drove to the meet point. I didn't even bother to get out and Vince didn't acknowledge me as he left. I slumped against the seat and wandered why I didn't ride with Jess. Even Leon or Dom would've been better, but before I could even decide to move everyone was back in their cars and we were off.

At the next spot he got out without acknowledging me again. He sat on the hood of his car and after a moment he tapped it. I looked up and he was looking straight ahead but he waved me out. I slowly got out and went to sit on the hood of the car beside him. Neither of us said anything.

Dom went to sort out the races and I decided that I didn't want to race. He ended up riding in the first race and although I didn't catch it I knew he'd won. From all the gossip it wasn't even close. Vince and I took his car down to the finish line to congratulate him. I sighed with relief as Vince threw me a smile when he got out this time.

When I got out I was pulled into the crowd by Dom. I couldn't help but smile as his hands rested on my hips. He kissed me softly before lifting me up into the air. I couldn't stop the squeal that escaped my lips. I rested my hands on his shoulder and grinned at the cheering crowd.

As I scanned the crowd my eyes stopped and grew wide. I gulped as I noticed Lewis and the old crew. I wriggled a little so Dom would put me down. He was smiling till he noticed the look on my face. I tried to smile but it was too late. He looked from me to the crowd behind him. I tried to pull away and run but he gripped me tighter as he scanned the crowd trying to find what had scared me so much. I couldn't race tonight, I just couldn't.


	15. Chapter 15

I tugged my arm violently but I couldn't get out of Dom's grip. I yanked my entire body but Dom wouldn't release me, he just kept looking around the crowd. I noticed Vince heading towards us as the crowd slowly went silent. I sent him a pleading look as he stepped closer; he just nodded and went straight up to Dom.

"What are you doing?" he hissed to Dom so only we could hear. "You're freaking everybody out, you're freaking _her_ out."

"She was already freaked out." He looked away from the crowd for the first time.

"About?" Vince asked, looking between the two of us.

"That's what I'm trying to work out, something in that crowd scared her."

"Nothing scared me," I said as I tugged my arm again.

"Let go of her," Vince said with a slight nod.

Dom eyed him for a moment before he released his grip on me. I went to run but Vince caught me and wrapped his arms around me. I started to kick out and scream for him to let go but he wouldn't. At one point he lifted me up and I kicked out causing the crowd to take a step back.

"V, you need to let me go," I begged as I stopped fighting.

He twirled me round to look at him. "Why?"

"I know I'm not your favourite person right now but you need to trust me, please."

"That's one of the few times you've said please without being sarcastic," he said, amused. "You can't leave this place."

"I won't," I said urgently. "I just need to make it seem like I've gone, _please_."

He thought about it for a moment. He looked at Dom who had his back to us. He sighed then released his arms from me. I waited for him to step back before I ran. I darted through the crowd who seemed to part easily for me. I ignored the shouts from the team when they realised I wasn't with them anymore.

I was just outside of the crowd and out in the open when I was stopped. I looked up and groaned. It was Carl, one of the guys from Lewis' team. He grinned and shook his head to tell me that running was not an option. He hadn't changed much. Tall, bald and dark skinned. Anyone who didn't know him would shit a brick at the sheer sight of him he was that scary.

He twirled his finger for me to turn around and I did. Dom and the others came rushing forward and I found myself back in Dom's grip again.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"You need to leave," I told him. "Get as far away from me as possible."

"That doesn't answer my question," he growled.

"The lady said you need to leave." I closed my eyes at the sound of Lewis' voice. "Why don't you come and say hi to me?"

I shrugged out of Dom's grip and walked pass the team to Lewis. He held his arms open and I hugged him. He let me pull away a little but his arms wrapped around my waist. I laid my hands on his chest but I looked away. He brought one hand up and moved my head to face him. He brought his lips to mine and although my body tensed up, I didn't fight.

"Get off of her!" Leon yelled.

I turned to see him fly forward but Vince held him back. He tried to fight and I saw Lewis about to motion for Carl to do something.

"Wait!" I said urgently. "They've got nothing to do with this."

"We'll see about that," Lewis smirked as he called Carl off. "You're up next so I'll see you at the starting line."

I watched him and Carl walk away. I tried to breathe and stay exactly as I was. I knew getting out of this race wouldn't work so I had to make sure I was ready for it. The team stayed silent behind me until I finally turned around.

"You all need to stay away from me," I said quietly as Leon went to move.

"We can't," Dom said.

"You need to."

"We _can't_," he exaggerated.

"Why not?"

"One of us is the next race," he sighed.

I felt my stomach drop. "Who is it?"

"Me," Jesse squeaked as he raised his hand.

My heart shattered and I started to panic. My breathing caught and I started to gasp for air. Leon rushed over and pulled me to him. I started to claw at my throat as breathing became even harder. He kept moving his head till I was looking straight at him.

"Breathe," he urged. "Just focus on me, nothing else and breathe."

I moved my hands to grip his shoulders and I managed to take a deep breath. I kept doing so till my breathing slowly started to return to normal. He rubbed my back and never looked away from me as I continued to breathe.

"I can't lose this race," I gasped.

"We don't mind losing," Leon assured me.

I pushed him away and went over to Jess. I shook him hard. "You told me you weren't ready to race yet. You said you weren't going to race for a few months!"

"I wasn't," Jesse said and I wanted to cry at the petrified look on his face. "But you said you weren't good so I thought if you knew someone else who wasn't so good was racing tonight then you might take part."

"I _lied_ Jesse," I groaned. "I'm not amazing but I can win, especially this race, they made sure of it."

"Then win," he said quietly.

"I'm not taking your money," I sighed. "And I can't give it back, Lewis will want it."

"Why are you even racing for him?" Dom asked.

"You don't say no to Lewis," I sighed as I let go of Jesse. "Just do your best."

"I thought you couldn't lose?" Leon shouted as I walked away.

I ignored him and walked over to the starting line. When I finally got there Lewis was leaning against a car. It was a Skyline. It looked good and I couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of driving it.

"You alone?"

"Team's at the finish line," he smirked as he studied me.

"Problem?"

"You didn't cover up this much when I knew you."

"I don't always, just felt like it tonight," I shrugged.

He pulled a pocket knife out and flipped it open. I eyed it as he brought it up towards my neck. He grabbed the straps of my vest top and cut them. He then used the knife to cut along the seam on the side of the vest. He put the knife away and used his hands to pull the two halves apart so that it ripped all the way up the seam under my jumper. He pulled the vest so it came out from under the jumper. It was completely ruined and he threw it the floor.

"Better," he said with approval.

The jumper really was dangerously low and I started to feel self-conscious about my stomach being on show. He opened the driver's door for me and as I walked towards it he slapped my ass. I closed my eyes and took a breath before climbing into the car.

I didn't look anywhere but straight ahead. I didn't want to see Jess or the team, for now they didn't exist. I gripped the steering wheel and when the racer chaser came to stand in front of the cars I put it into gear. I revved the engine and when she lowered her hands the car shot forward.

I pushed the pedal, shifted gears and kept my eyes forward. After the second gear change I looked either side to see no one there. I pushed the pedal harder and shifted gear. I gripped the wheel and took the risk of looking behind me. I grinned when I saw Jesse was second while the other two cars were way behind.

I focused ahead again; I was going to act like this was any normal race. I floored it and shifted gears. As we got closer to the end, Jess pulled up beside and I released my NOS, I felt bad about doing it but the urge to win was too much. I gripped the wheel as I hurtled the rest of the way and went across the finish line. I swung the car round and stopped to the sound of a cheering crowd. I gripped the wheel and if I hadn't spotted Lewis I wouldn't have moved.

I got out and he came over to me. Hector handed me my winnings and I handed it quickly to Lewis. He counted it and fished it into his pocket as his team stepped forward. I counted them all and realised someone was missing.

I could see Carl, then Mark. He was tall just like Carl and even bald but his skin was tanned and he wasn't as muscularly. That wasn't to say he was as intimidating. Next was Gavin, he was tall but skinny. He had sandy colour hair which fell in front of his eyes constantly. I was unsure if this was all of them or not. There was more while I was there but they left when it was safe to.

"This all of you?"

"The group size didn't change after you left," Gavin chuckled.

"Where is she?" I asked, finally noticing who was missing. My friend Alex, the only decent one from the group. Richie never counted because he was never officially part of the group. But Alex was like a sister, I didn't want to leave her behind but she didn't want to come. Her hair was naturally curly like mine but it was blonde, she was slightly taller than me too but everything else about us was pretty similar. Everyone seemed to mistake us for sisters all the time.

"I wondered how long it would take you," Mark laughed. "Surprised you didn't ask about her sooner."

"Where is she?" I yelled as I darted forward.

Lewis grabbed my hand and twisted it. He pulled me into him. "Easy."

"Tell me," I pleaded.

"I don't feel like it," he shrugged as he pushed me away.

I fell back onto the floor and I felt my head smack off of it. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. All I could hear was ringing. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to concentrate. I only opened them when I was pulled to my feet. Jesse hugged me tightly and over his shoulder I could see the rest of the team.

I wanted to get closer but I couldn't unwrap myself from Jesse. He pulled away but only so he could see. Once he was turned around he wrapped his arms around me again. I watched both teams as they walked closer to each other. Dom squared up to Lewis while Vince took Carl and Leon took Mark. Gavin just sat back and watched, amused.

"Get out of here," Dom warned.

"She's coming with us if we go," Lewis said as he pointed at me.

Dom laughed and the whole crowd turned to look. "Doubtful."

"And you're gonnna stop us from taking her?"

"Yeah," Leon said and Vince nodded in agreement.

Lewis motioned to his boys who forcibly moved forward. Vince grabbed Carl as he tried to move by and slammed him into the floor. They both started throwing punches as Leon caught Mark and kneed him. As they were fighting Dom and Lewis started to. Vince disabled Carl and put Gavin down in one move as he advanced. He backed up Dom and Leon till only Lewis was left.

I watched as Mark, Carl and Gavin groaned and went to lean against their cars. I saw Lewis reach for his pocket where I knew the pocket-knife was. I pushed away from Jesse and rushed forward. I stopped just in front of Lewis. I tried to ignore the head rush from moving too quickly.

"I just want to know where Alex is," I said, attempting to change the focus.

"Come with us," Lewis said as he withdrew the pocket-knife.

"She's staying with us," Vince growled.

"Don't be so sure about that," he chuckled "She belongs with us."

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

He flipped the knife open and edged forward. "You want to stay here?"

"Yes," I nodded, my eyes on the knife.

He looked behind me then nodded in approval. "Maybe I'll finally replace you."

I looked behind me to where he was looking. I hadn't noticed that Mia had been standing behind Jesse and I. My stomach turned when I realised it was her that he was talking about. Without even considering it I lashed out. I shot towards Lewis but I was held back by Vince. I kicked and scream to get away.

"Stay the fuck away from her!" I warned. "Stay away from all of them."

He brought his face level with mine. "Remind me why I should?"

"They're off limits!"

"Really? How about young Richie?"

I brought my hand up and slapped him. "Don't you dare."

"An eye for an eye," he said angrily. His hand came down to slap me but it wasn't his hand that hit me. It was the pocket knife he held in it. He grinned as my hand flew up to cover my face. "I'll see you around."

As he walked away I struggled again. "What about Alex?"

He stopped and turned around, the smile growing bigger on his face. "Six months ago. Maybe if you were still with us then she wouldn't be racing. Maybe she wouldn't have gotten clipped, maybe she wouldn't have driven off the side of the road, maybe her car would have rolled over and maybe her NOS tank wouldn't have been an issue... Maybe there wouldn't have been... Well, _boom_." He threw his hands up in the air as if imitating an explosion before chuckling and heading over to this car.

I watched as they drove away. There was still a lot of noise from the cars, music and people but my world had gone silent. My body relaxed but my mind was still fighting. Vince held me close to him and I barely noticed Leon as he came closer to look at my cheek. My eyes stayed on where their cars had disappeared and Lewis imitating the explosion and laughing filled my head.

I felt myself being pulled away and over to the cars. I found myself in Vince's car as we drove away. I curled up into a ball and bit my lip so I wouldn't cry. Even when we managed to get back to the fort I didn't move. I had to be lifted out of the car and carried into the house where I was put down on the couch.

"Are you OK?" I asked Mia quietly.

She nodded. "Thanks for doing that."

I shrugged. "I had to."

"Yeah, and you need to go to the hospital," Leon said as he titled my head to the side.

I moved away from him and brought my knees up to my chest. "No, I'll just wash it and patch it."

"And what if it's deeper than we think?"

"I don't care about that!" He recoiled from me and I felt myself start to cry. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," he smiled as he stroked my good cheek. "But I want that cut to heal properly."

"It doesn't hurt," I whispered.

"Even so," he said softly as he pulled me to him.

I couldn't help but feel tense as he hugged me. I didn't want to be with them especially when I knew Lewis would come back, he always came back when he said he would. I turned my head into his chest and cried. The room was completely silent and no one moved, it wasn't right, it wasn't normal. That's when the crying became uncontrollable.


	16. Chapter 16

_I'm not too fond of this chapter. I promise (well I'll try) to make the next one better._

* * *

I blinked at the blinding light. I brought my hand up to shield my face as I tried to open my eyes fully. I held my hand away slightly then fully once my eyes adjusted. They were blurry at first but then slowly cleared as I rolled over. I caught flashes of blue and white as I rolled onto my other side. I smiled as I saw Leon. He was sat on the small couch. His eyes were closed and his head rolled back. His mouth opened and he let out a low snore, causing him to shoot forward in surprise.

I let out a small giggle as looked around. He relaxed and gave me a small smile when he noticed I was awake. He came over to me and stroked my cheek. I hissed at the contact and he quickly retracted his hand. I gave him a small smile but it disappeared as he leant down and kissed me softly. For the first time ever I responded. I pulled away a few moments later and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Sorry," I croaked.

He shook his head. "Don't be."

"Why am I still here?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed. "You told the doctor that you hit your head so he kept you in for 24 hour observations."

"Oh. I think I remember that..."

He went to speak but the door opened. I sat up properly as the team came in. Leon moved back to the couch where Vince and Mia joined him. Jesse ran to me and hugged me. I squeezed him tightly, trying to ignore the growing headache I had. He lay down on the side of the bed and rested his head on my chest. One of his hands played with the sheet that covered me. I wrapped an arm around him but glanced up at Dom. He was leaning against the wall, he smiled at me but said nothing.

"Ah, a full room." A plump looking nurse walked in. She gave everyone a small smile as she came to me. Jesse reluctantly moved. "How are you?"

"Sore, but good."

She nodded. "Your cheek is healing nicely and there were no problems for the last twenty four hours."

"Does that mean I can go home?" I asked hopefully.

She nodded as she wrote some things down. "But I suggest you take it easy."

"How much will all this cost?"

"It's been sorted." I went to speak but she stopped me. "I was told you would argue but I'm not to tell you who paid it and how much it cost."

I slumped into my pillows and muttered, "yeah, fine."

"I'll get the papers so you can be discharged." She chuckled lightly to herself as she left the room.

I looked around at them. "I know it wasn't Mia or Jess and I doubt they even know who it was because you'd all be afraid they'd tell." I looked between Dom, Leon and Vince. The latter being the less likely option. "Which one of you paid my bill?"

"We'll never talk," Leon grinned

"I need to pay you back," I explained.

"Never," Dom spoke suddenly. "Not a single penny."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks..."

* * *

Almost an hour later I was finally released. I was pulled over to Dom's car as we reached them. I didn't argue as I got in, I only sent Leon a small smile as he got into his. The drive back was completely silent but from the corner of my eye I could see that every so often he would make an attempt to talk but then close his mouth without saying anything.

When we did arrive I yelped as Dom scooped me up into his arms. "You've done enough walking," he grunted.

I didn't argue and he carried me towards the house. I instinctively leaned against his chest and breathed in. I blushed when I noticed he was watching me curiously. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to watch him. As he stopped and lowered me I knew he was about to put me down. I tried to remember his smell and the feel of him as he set me down on the couch. I slowly opened my eyes as he disappeared into the kitchen.

I sat alone on the couch for some time before Vince came to sit beside me. He glanced my way but then awkwardly looked away. He rubbed the back of his neck and flicked through the TV.

"Did I do something?"

He shook his head but kept his eyes on the TV. "I know I give you hell sometimes but you didn't deserve what happened. I feel angry when I look at you."

"Do I look that bad?"

He turned around in shock. "No! Of course you don't..."

"How does it look?"

He slowly moved the patch that covered it. "The butterfly stitches are holding."

"That means it wasn't deep, right?"

He nodded as he put the patch on. "Yes. But keep the patch on for a while just in case."

"Why do I make you angry?"

"You don't," he sighed. "What happened to you does."

"Don't be angry, none of you are to be angry," I said sternly.

"We're involved no matter what you say."

I sighed, knowing I couldn't argue. I would do it later when it would be a fair argument. I shuffled closer to him. I was shocked when he moved his arm to wrap around my waist. He held me close to him as we watched the TV.

As we flicked through the doorbell went then whoever it was knocked, two impatient knocks. The team flooded in and Leon went to answer the door. I heard bits of talking and I instantly got up when I realised it was Richie. I stood facing the doorway. I smiled as he walked through.

"Shit," he breathed.

Before I could respond he moved to me. I gripped his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me and I stared at him in shock. As I slowly softened he pulled away, keeping his lips close to mine.

"Why?" I whispered.

He licked his lips and kissed mine once more before pulling away from me completely. "They called me but I didn't know how you really were. I spent the journey thinking about if I didn't see you again or if I didn't speak to you again. I then thought about not being able to kiss you again."

"You've dealt with that for over three years now," I pointed out.

"Only because of that dick." He ran a finger across the patch on my cheek as he spoke.

"I did want him at first," I mumbled.

He sighed. "I know that."

"You two were... Together?" Dom asked.

"I liked her, but she was never interested," he chuckled.

"At least Leon isn't the only one then," Vince laughed as he ruffled Leon's hair.

"Told you you were irresistible," he grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. Do you want a drink?"

I walked towards the kitchen, sparing a glance at Dom as I passed. I noticed Richie stopped beside him, I heard what sounded like "respond or set her straight." I tried to ignore it and what it could mean.

Everyone settled for the same, coke but Richie laughed. "You know what I want."

"Bit early isn't it?"

He smiled. "I've been stressing, I need this."

"Can't believe you remember it."

"Remember? I drink it all the time!"

I smiled slightly but set to work. I poured four small ice cubes into two glasses. I then grabbed some Vodka from the cupboard and poured it in till a quarter of the glass was full. I then poured in some cranberry juice. I passed him the glass. He sipped it and licked his lips. I was unsure as I brought mines up and sipped slowly. After a while I took bigger mouthfuls.

"What's it taste like?" Jesse asked curiously.

"Good," I laughed.

Vince snatched my glass and took a mouthful. "Yeah. I wouldn't even guess it had alcohol in it."

"Why?" Jesse asked as he took my glass next.

"It's hard to taste the vodka because of the amount of cranberry juice we add," Richie explained.

"Vince probably has no taste buds when it comes to alcohol though," Mia giggled from her spot at the table.

I frowned as my glass was passed on to Leon. "Why this drink?" He sipped as he asked.

"We always had spare cranberry juice because we didn't like it much," I sighed.

"Well we started to love it after a few drinks."

"Till the morning," I chuckled. "We-" I stopped when I realised 'we' included more than us two.

"Harper?" Richie asked unsurely as he put the glass down.

"Did you know?"

"What?"

"Alex." It was all I could say.

"I found out two months ago. I didn't say anything when I saw you because I was too amazed with the fact that you were actually there."

"What did they do?"

"A friend buried her."

I gulped. "Did anyone go?"

He nodded and I let out a breath. "Some people from that diner she worked in before, some race people and some people I didn't even know."

"No one else from the team then?"

He smiled sadly. "Like they would."

"I shouldn't have left," I mumbled. "She didn't even like racing that much. Not unless it was for fun."

"Don't," he whispered. "We both know Alex wouldn't have done it if she was so unsure."

"I guess..."

"Don't," he warned. "You don't get to blame yourself for this."

"He's right," Leon said as he came over. I leaned my head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around me. "Even if you were there, maybe it still would have happened. You don't know."

"She's dead," I whispered after a while. "Gone."

"I know," he said softly as he squeezed me tightly. "Do you want to talk about her?"

"No," I sighed. "Maybe another time."

Richie stepped forward and smiled at me. I looked up at him. "Hey, you. I hate to say it bu-"

I grabbed his arm. "No."

"You always could read me like a book," he chuckled. "I'll be around but I do need to go. You can come with me?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I can't, I need to stay with them in case Lewis comes back."

He winced but tried to hide it. "Call me if he shows."

It wasn't just me who agreed to that but the entire team. Leon let go of me as Richie hugged me. He kissed me softly as he pulled away. I watched helplessly as he walked away with a promise to stay close. Everything had looked up not so long ago but now memories of Alex flooded my mind. My knees went weak and I was thankful that Leon wrapped his arms around me.

"Breathe," he whispered.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "I can't," I gasped as I tugged away and ran towards the small downstairs toilet.

I reached the toilet just as I threw up. I gripped the sides of the bowl and tried to make it stop. After a while it subsided and I curled up against the wall. I stayed there for a long time, ignoring the knocks on the door. I finally wandered over to the sink to wash my mouth out. Once I felt it was clean I numbly walked out.

I waved away the team as they went to move or speak. I slowly dragged myself downstairs to the basement. I flopped down onto Leon's bed. I stared blankly at the ceiling, not moving, even when Jesse came in. He came over to the bed and laid beside me.

"I know you don't want to talk but I wanted to check that you were OK," he whispered. "I shouldn't even be here. I'll go."

I grabbed his hand as he went to roll away. He rolled back onto his side so he was facing me. I rolled onto mine to face him too. I kept hold of his hands. I focused my eyes on his chest so I wouldn't have to see his expression. He shuffled a little closer but said nothing. I sighed. It was almost a happy one. Being with Jess was easy, it was never uncomfortable.

* * *

I refused to move from bed, again. It had been three days since Richie's visit. I only ever moved when I heard suspicious noises in case it was Lewis, it never was.

"I made you breakfast," Mia whispered. "It's upstairs in the fridge for when you want it, OK?"

I just nodded and waited for her to leave before I rolled over. I drummed my stomach. There were times where I felt better and found myself bored, but then it would all return and I felt miserable again.

"We need to talk."

I looked towards the door as Vince stormed in but I remained silent. I stared up at the ceiling as he sat down on the bed beside me.

"I get it."

"Do you?" I asked, uninterested.

"I had a friend who died."

I looked over at him. "Who?"

"Guy I knew in high school, I wasn't living on the street then. Basically we got on the wrong side of some people, especially him... When I got there I was too late."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"I was a moody shit for two months before I even started to get better. But you're better than me."

"I don't feel like getting better."

"I know, but you will. You need to, we're all worrying."

"OK."

I know it was blunt but I didn't want to talk about it. It was my fault she was gone and I knew that. She was all I could think about, but I deserved to be haunted. I didn't respond as he walked out, slamming the door behind him. I just closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

They were barely closed when they flew open again. I tried to grasp the bed as I was lifted away from it. I pushed away as I saw it was Dom. He threw me over his shoulder and carried me upstairs. He took me through the living room. The team watched with shock and amusement. We got through the living room when he grew tired of my squirming and put me down. I debated going out the front door or running upstairs. Dom grabbed me before I could move.

"Let us help you."

"That wasn't helping!" I yelled.

He pushed me up against the wall. "And staying down there isn't either!"

"I hate you! I hate you all," I screamed as I tried to push him away. I continued to scream such things before they turned to whispers, before I finally mumbled, "I killed her."

He leaned his forehead against mine as I relaxed against the wall. "No. Trust me, you didn't. If you were there she might have raced anyway. Don't let Lewis make you feel like it was your fault."

"She was beautiful," I whispered. "She was so nice and smart. She taught me everything I knew. Even the stuff she didn't know, she'd learn it then teach it to me."

He moved away and gave me a small smile. "She sounds great."

"More than great," I scoffed as I smiled back. "Sorry I kicked and punched you."

"Sorry I haven't spoken to you much."

"Can we forget what happened with us?"

He nodded. "If you promise to let us help you."

"Unfair deal," I smiled. "But yeah, I'm game."

He kissed my cheek and I felt much lighter than I had in the pass few days. I held his shoulders and he pecked my lips as he moved away. My heart leapt as he took my hand and moved me over to the couch to sit between him and Leon. I felt suddenly awkward as Dom put his arm along the back of the couch behind me and Leon rested a hand on my knee. I wanted to curl up into a ball again, then my phone rang.

* * *

_R&R_


	17. Chapter 17

I shuffled out from my place between Leon and Dom. I stood on the farthest side of the room, keeping my back to them. I glanced down at my phone and groaned when I saw it was Lewis calling. I thought about it for a moment before finally picking up the phone.

"What?"

"That's not very nice," he chuckled. "How's everything?"

"I'll get back to you on that one."

"Your friends still with you?"

"Yes."

"Do they ever leave you alone?"

"Not really," I admitted.

"Guess it'll just be more fun getting to you then." Translation, I'm going to kill them if I have to just to get to you and I'm going to like it.

"Listen you son of a bitch-"

"No name calling," he tutted.

"Then stay the fuck away from them, alright?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Look, I liked Richie so I'm gonna leave him alone, as for _them_... I can't promise anything."

"I swear to God-"

"But come back to us," he interrupted again. "And I won't have to hurt them."

"Get lost."

"Have it your way," he sighed. "But I'm coming for you, so watch your back. And theirs I guess."

I cringed at the low chuckle that followed just before he hung up. I shook it before pushing my phone back into my pocket. When I turned around they were all looking up at me. I calmly walked back over and sat down before relaying the phone call.

After I'd finished speaking they were all silent for a moment or two. After that though it was only Mia and Jesse who stayed silent and didn't move. Vince took deep breaths and muttered angrily to himself, Leon started to pace and shouted about how we should do something, and Dom just sat there, replying but obviously not paying much attention to what was going on around him.

"Enough!" Dom shouted. Leon and Vince instantly went quiet, and we all looked at him. "Is there any threat right now?"

I shook my head. "No. He likes surprises so he wouldn't do it now."

"How can we even be sure of that?" Vince asked angrily.

"No, she's right," Jesse piped up. We all turned to look at him. "Well if he likes surprises then she is. I mean if you liked surprises then why would you call someone and threaten them right before you attack?"

Vince thought about it for a moment then sighed. "Yeah, alright, Einstein."

"So, there's no immediate danger tonight. So everyone go to bed and we'll talk things over in the morning."

No one argued with him, he looked so serious. He went over to Mia and they walked upstairs together. Dom was behind her and he had his hands on his shoulders as if guiding her along. Vince followed them up and Jesse disappeared to the basement. After a while Leon sighed and we both went down after Jesse.

* * *

I woke up before everyone else the next day. I couldn't sleep because of the nightmare about Alex. It was the first but it was horrible and vivid. It started off relatively nice but then slowly got darker and darker till I was stood next to the car, watching her burn till she died. Going back to sleep didn't seem like the greatest idea so I snuck out of the room and went for a shower. After my shower it was only 5am so I settled for a strong cup of coffee and some crappy TV.

I was there for a couple of hours before Mia came downstairs. She yawned as she stepped off of the last step but looked shocked when she saw me sitting on the couch. She timidly came over and plopped down beside me.

"No one is usually up before at least eight, on rare occasions seven."

"I couldn't sleep."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she offered.

"First time this is has happened so I don't really feel like it," I explained.

"Well how about I make some pancakes and more coffee?"

"That would definitely help," I smiled.

She grinned before getting up and heading to the kitchen. I laid across the couch then put my arm across my eyes. I felt someone tap my foot and I opened them to see Jesse. I shifted my feet so he could sit but covered my eyes again.

"You were screaming last night." I peered under my arm at Jesse as he spoke. "Good thing it wasn't loud enough for the rest of the house to hear and that Leon is a heavy sleeper."

"Sorry if I woke you," I whispered as I sat up.

"Don't be," he shrugged. "I'm a heavy sleeper now too, I only heard because I went to get a drink. I was gonna come in and wake you but you stopped."

"Sorry."

"Stop saying that," he chuckled. "I only mentioned it 'cause it's my stupid way of starting the conversation so I can ask if you're OK."

"Yeah, Jess, I'm OK."

He sighed and nodded as he turned his attention to the TV. I rolled onto my side to watch it too, but ended up having to move when Dom came down so he could sit. I sat in the middle and eventually Jesse leaned against me. I rested my head on top of his as we waited for food.

By time Mia had cooked enough pancakes and made enough coffee Vince and Leon had woken up and come into the living room as well. I thanked Mia when she finally did bring it in. We all settled into eat and I moved onto the floor as I kept banging elbows with Dom and Jesse.

Everyone remained silent after we ate so I put my head back to rest on the couch. I tilted my head to the side slightly to look up at Dom. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Nothing," he said but didn't look down at me.

"Bullshit." He looked then. "Tell me."

"I have no problem telling her," Vince announced.

"Wait, you've discussed this." I stood up and moved so all of them could see me. "When the hell did you all discuss this?"

"I didn't discuss it," Jesse declared.

"And I don't get involved," Mia added.

"So, who's gonna answer my question?" I asked.

"Vince and I came back down when we knew no one was in the living room," Dom explained.

"Then I came up when I was sure you were asleep," Leon continued. "We were up here half an hour then I came back down and slept."

"I don't care how long you weren't in your room for," I snapped. "What the hell did you all decide?"

Dom came up to stand in front of me. "We were gonna hunt the son of a bitch down and make sure he couldn't do anything to hurt you again, to hurt us."

I shoved him. "And what? You were gonna keep this from me?"

"We wanted to keep you where you'd be safe."

"You don't know him, you don't know them," I yelled. "Are you really that crazy or that stupid to leave me out of this?"

He grabbed my wrists and pulled me close to him. "I wanted you safe."

"He might as well have killed her." He didn't need me to say Alex's name to understand who I was talking about. "He knew she couldn't race properly, he knew she couldn't handle NOS and that she was bound to crash her car. It was a death sentence putting her in. It didn't matter that I wasn't there, he had other racers, racers who were better than me."

"And this erratic behaviour is the reason why I couldn't let you in on the plan," he said softly.

"Like you can talk," I accused. "He threatened your family, there's no way that you have a steady head."

He sighed and let go of me so I could pull away. "OK, fine, we shouldn't have left you out."

"Damn straight," I nodded with approval. "And it's a shit plan."

"Hey, that's only the basic idea," Vince defended.

"Yeah, he's got a small team like us," Leon shrugged. "It'll work."

"Yeah, his team is small, but he knows a lot of people," I explained. "He'll know you're coming then he'll call in back up. So don't go ahead with it."

"Then what do we do?" Vince demanded before Dom could talk.

"Well you could shut the fuck up," I growled.

Vince went to talk but Dom silenced him with a look. "You got a plan?"

"No, but this isn't the right one," I urged.

He thought about it but finally gave. "Yeah, OK. But we need to do something."

"Trust me, we don't need a plan right now."

He just nodded and silenced Leon and Vince who went to argue. I took a seat back on the couch next to Jesse. I leaned my head on his shoulder and held his hand. He didn't argue or say anything, he only kept relatively still and squeezed my hand. I smiled over at Mia quickly before focusing on the TV, I refused to look at anybody else.

* * *

"You're seriously going to let her stop us?" Vince demanded as we were finishing dinner.

"She knows him, we don't," Dom said quickly.

"No, you're only agreeing with her because you're hoping you'll get in her good books so then you can get her into your bed."

Jesse choked on the piece of meat he was finishing, Mia went wide eyed, Leon looked annoyed and I spat my drink back into its glass. Dom was looking at Vince but I could only see the back of his head.

"Excuse me?" Dom asked, his voice tight.

"You heard," Vince shrugged. "We all know, well except her, that you've been pissed since you screwed things up that night."

"I haven't." For a split second he sounded weak. "You're out of line."

Vince ignored him and got up from the table without saying anything. Everyone stayed for a moment then made quick excuses to move, leaving just Dom and I. I never moved my eyes away from him and he never turned around.

"Look at me," I pleaded.

He turned around slowly. "Don't listen to, V."

"Is it true?"

He shook his head but it was hesitant. I went to speak but he moved from the table. I managed to get up and grab him back before he left the kitchen. I glanced over his shoulder when he turned around, no one was there.

"No one's there, it's just me and you so talk to me."

He took a deep breath. "OK, so maybe I was a bit gutted that I'd managed to screw things up after to be honest a brilliant night of sex, but I'm not trying to get you back into my bed. This isn't what this is."

"And you were never out of my good books," I said softly.

He smirked a little at that. "Seriously?"

I nodded and smiled. "I was only ever annoyed with myself."

"Everything came back to me, and I was wondering..."

"Everything I said I meant."

"Are you sure?" he questioned, the smirk on his face only getting bigger. "'Cause that table looks pretty stable."

"I got probably no more than four hours sleep and you're talking about sex on a table?" I clarified. "And even more so, after I told you one night stands normally stay that way with me?"

"It'll just be a different one night stand, nothing to do with the other one," he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes as he walked towards me, causing me to back away. I only stopped when I bumped into the table. He placed his hands on it, either side of me, causing him to lean down. I tried to look away but it was hard. My eyes fluttered as he kissed my neck. I gasped as he nibbled on one spot. He moved his hands over to rest on my waist as I rested my hands on his shoulder.

I tried to pull away from him but he wouldn't stop, and honestly I liked it. I moved again but only so I could kiss him properly. He leaned pass me to push all the things on the table out of the way before picking me and placing me on the table. I moved my legs apart so he could move between them. I ran my tongue out to meet his as his hands ran up under my shirt. I let my eyes close again, properly, but sudden images from my earlier nightmare were all I could see.

"Stop," I managed to gasp after a minute, but he didn't move. I pushed him. "Dom."

"Tell me why and I will," he muttered against my lips.

"I'm gonna be sick," I groaned as I pushed him away.

He looked alarmed as he moved away from me. I jumped down and ran through to the downstairs bathroom. I managed to shut the door and lock it before I had my head over the toilet. I faintly heard Dom knocking on the door but I couldn't stop myself long enough to respond. Every time I closed my eyes from the pain of throwing up I would see more images which would in turn cause me to throw up again.

* * *

_There is going to be something big with Lewis I promise, but I'm not sure when it'll be, I'm hoping very soon, so lots of drama coming up at some point, I honestly do promise._

_And sorry, I read over this chapter really quickly so if there's any mistakes then I am sorry but I hope you enjoyed it._

_R&R_


	18. Chapter 18

I eventually stumbled out of the bathroom and into the arms of Dom. He rubbed my back and tried to get me to talk but I wouldn't. I noticed the others sitting around now but I tried to ignore them. All I did was slump against Dom and allow him to hold me up.

"Leon, go and get her bag."

I pulled away from him in shock. "Why?!"

"The spare room, you're moving into it," he explained. "You can't stay down there."

"I could," I mumbled.

He shook his head. "No, you need your own space."

I gave in and nodded. Leon moved away from the couch and headed for the basement. Without waiting for him Dom led me upstairs to the spare room. It had a small window, double bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, a hamper, trash can and a shelving unit. As I wandered into it Dom disappeared only to reappear seconds later holding sheets and that for the bed. He helped me to make the bed, and when Leon brought my bag up he helped me unpack. Taking the opportunity, I slipped away to the bathroom.

I didn't feel right about leaving my stuff in there so I would keep it all in the room. I pulled out my toothbrush and set to work on cleaning my mouth before I splashed water on my face. Feeling much more refreshed and like myself I wandered back into the room.

"It needs a little redecorating," Dom commented. He was sat on the end of the bed. "But we can sort that out no worry."

"It's fine as it is," I assured him. "I know this was Letty's room, so is it still OK?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because she's a... Friend, right?"

He chuckled a little. "She was in my room more than this one, so yeah, I'm OK with it."

I went to sit beside him. "Good. And it wasn't you that made me..."

He sighed with relief. "Good, because it was fun."

I smiled slightly. "Yeah. So what happens now?"

"You look dead on your feet, so we're gonna lie here till you fall asleep."

"It's still early."

"Just an hour?"

I was worried to lie with him after the nightmare, I didn't want to risk him finding out but it seemed I had no choice.

"Turn around, I want to change."

"Do I have to turn around?"

"Yes." I made a rotating motion with my finger.

Once he was turned I pulled on a pair of light blue cotton shorts and a white t-shirt. Dom didn't even hesitate when I told him he could turn around. I rolled my eyes at the grin on his face. I ignored him and crawled beneath the covers. Dom, I was happy to find, laid on top of the covers. He draped an arm around me and moved his body closer to mine.

* * *

I woke up. Screaming. Again. Another nightmare. Only difference was Dom was there when I woke from it. I shot forward, gasping for air. When I looked around Dom was lying on his side, head propped up, watching me.

"Sorry," I muttered, a little embarrassed.

"Don't be, are you OK?"

I nodded. "Were you just watching me?"

"I tried to wake you but whenever I touched you, you screamed, telling me to let you go."

"Yeah," I sighed. "In my dream I was being held back."

"From?"

"I don't want to talk about it, it makes feel sick just thinking about."

Realisation washed over him. "This is why you threw up earlier."

I scrunched my eyes up then opened them again. "When I closed my eyes I saw flashes of the nightmares."

"Talk to me about them."

I laid on my back beside him. "I can't. They're not worth talking about, excluding the flashes I've only had them twice."

"Still more than need be."

I rolled onto my side to look at him. "I can handle them."

He trailed a finger up and down my side. "Then let me ask you this... How did you end up with Lewis?"

"Dom," I groaned.

"Please, tell me," he begged.

Part of me knew I could trust him, and the part that couldn't trust him just didn't care.

"My parents died when I was young, well, I was about eight."

"Shit, what happened?"

"Car crash." I was giving no details on that part. "I went into care after that."

"No family?"

I nodded. "Correct."

"How long were you there for?"

"Erm, I would've had to wait till I was eighteen to leave, but I didn't."

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "When?"

"I was seventeen, but in my defence I would've been eighteen in a year, that's not long..."

He chuckled and sat up, leaning against the headboard. "And you ended up with Lewis?"

"Even though I was in care I still knew the racing scene, that's how I met Lewis, I just stayed with him after I left."

"How did you two...?"

"Get together?" He nodded. "He was charming believe it or not. I fell for it, for him. But he changed towards the end."

"When did you leave him?"

"About four months after I turned eighteen," I said, trying to calculate it. "So I've been on my own for about a year and a half."

"Why on your own?"

"Alex never wanted to come with me and the only other person I got on with was Richie but he realistically wasn't part of the team."

"Thanks for telling me," he said softly.

I smiled. "That's all I'm telling you, OK?"

"You can tell me anything more whenever you feel like it. I won't ask unless needed and I won't rush."

I shuffled closer to him and cuddled into his chest. "You won't tell the others?"

"It's not mine to tell."

I titled my head back to look him. As he titled his to look at me I reached up to press my lips to his. He seemed a little stunned at first but soon kissed me back. I let him roll us over so he was hovering over me. He watched me for a moment, and I tried my hardest not to smile or look away. He leaned down and kissed me, soft, gentle. I held my hands to the back of his neck so I could pull him closer, causing him to deepened the kiss. I moved my hands to run across his chest as he kissed down my neck. He nibbled on it a little and I bit my lip, trying not to moan. It didn't help that his left hand slowly trailed up under my top, resting near my left breast. Whenever I felt like I was gaining some self control back he would run a couple of fingers across it and squeeze slightly.

"Dom," Mia called. "You need to wake her up or she won't sleep enough tonight."

"Fuck," Dom groaned as he rolled away to look at the door. "Yeah, Mi. I'll wake her up, just go back downstairs."

"Upset?" I teased.

"Hell yeah, you don't know how many times I've imagined tha- I mean..." He seemed a little nervous and I tried not to laugh.

"How many times?"

"A lot," he chuckled. "Ever since that night. And it was different each time."

"Maybe you could show me at some point?"

"You've warmed to me," he noted.

I smiled. "I trust you, and I guess I've been fighting it for too long."

"You need to know, the morning after... I normally don't forget, so I didn't think. I did mean what I said, in the moment I meant it, something more wouldn't be so bad."

"What are you saying?" I got up off the bed and stood beside it, waiting.

"You know what, and if I were to ask properly, what would you say? Hypothetically of course."

"There's a lot going on, Dom," I whispered.

"Forget Lewis, hell forget the team," he urged. "Just us, what would you say?"

"I'd say we could try."

"Then can we?" I backed away as he stood up. "Can we try to be together?"

"Then what make it official? Like, boyfriend, girlfriend?"

He kept walking towards me till I banged into the wardrobe. "Yeah." I looked towards the door and he seemed to sense my trouble. "We don't have to tell them, especially if you wanna see how it goes first."

"I don't know," I mumbled. "Bit of a horrible time to go and get myself a boyfriend, isn't it?"

"Then don't call me your boyfriend," he shrugged.

"I want to," I gave.

He smirked a little at that. "Vince has been wanting you to chose for ages."

I sighed at that. "I've not even been here that long and I've caused so much trouble."

"Don't," he whispered. "And don't leave me hanging here."

"Dom," I said, unsure.

"Harper, will you go out with me?" He said quickly.

It took me by surprise, sure we'd just been talking about it but that one sentence was so desperate so longing. I could see that he was trying everything he could and he wasn't going to give up. I felt kind of sorry for him.

"Give me five reasons why."

"What?"

"Five reasons why we would work."

"The sex is great." I hit his arm and he chuckled. "That should count but OK I won't include it. One, I can't ever think of anyone but you. Two, you already get on with my family. Three, you race or at least know how to. Four, we get on well. Five, I think I might love you already."

The rest of what he said went out of my mind at the fifth reason. "Excuse me?"

"I know it doesn't seem possible but I don't care. You're different and you make me feel different, good different."

I pulled him to me and kissed him, short and sweet. "I'm saying yes, but we can't tell them."

"So I bag myself a girlfriend and I can't tell my family?"

I hit him hard. "You didn't 'bag' me and till this Lewis crap blows over I really don't want them to know, it's extra pressure."

He leaned down and kissed my neck. "We'll tell them when you're ready."

The whole situation seemed to just hit me and I pushed him away slightly. "You just asked me out."

"You do remember what you said right?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, I said yes, but... You actually want me?"

"Since I met you," he smiled. "Don't change your mind now, please."

"I'm not gonna," I assured him. "Let's go downstairs."

He grabbed my hand as I reached the door. He pulled me so my back was against his chest. "I'm your boyfriend," he whispered happily into my ear. I could feel his lips twitch into a smile the same time as mine.

I pulled away from him like he hadn't said anything. He walked behind me all the way down to the living room. I took a seat on the floor with Jess and picked up the controller to play video games with him. I felt Dom watching me as he went to sit on the couch with Mia and Vince. I tried to ignore him and the massive grin on his face. I felt my face heat up when I noticed Leon and Vince were both looking between Dom and I.

"What's up?" Jesse whispered so no one could hear.

"Nothing."

"Harper," he mumbled. "Please."

"Trust me, I'm fine, but I can't say anything."

"But it's nothing bad, right?"

"Definitely not, only bad thing right now is Lewis."

"We'll think of something, we always do."

For someone so small who was hyper a lot he seemed confident. I hoped he was right. I wanted Lewis out of my life, especially since I had Dom. The thought of that shocked me. I had tried so long to ignore what I wanted because I thought he wouldn't want it himself. I couldn't hide the smile that spread across my face when I thought about the fact that Dom was now all mine. I bit my lip so I wouldn't smile anymore. At least one aspect of my life had gotten substantially better.

* * *

_I know it's a little on the short side but with all the Lewis stuff going on and because it does get a lot worse, I wanted a happy Dom/Harper chapter. :)_

_R&R_


	19. Chapter 19

A slow, agonising week passed. Lewis hadn't made a move but as time passed I wondered when he would. When I was out I felt like someone was watching me, when I was working I felt like someone was watching me, when I was sleeping I felt like someone was watching me, no matter what I did I got that feeling that someone was watching. The most worrying part was that my "feelings" could be right. I never doubted that Lewis could find me. In fact he probably kept an eye on me more than I realised. It's why I never stayed anywhere permanently or held down a job. Moving on constantly kept me safe. Or at least helped me to sleep better at night.

The team had noticed how jumpy I was. Each of them tried to make me feel better but only Leon and Dom knew what was really up. Because of it Dom never wanted to leave my side but he had to. No one knew about us yet so he backed off every so often. I knew it got to him. Especially when Leon and I hung out. Leon had backed off too but that didn't seem to matter.

"Maybe we should tell them soon," Dom said quietly as we sat on the wall out back to eat our lunch.

"Dom..."

"Look, we were gonna wait till all this shit with Lewis blew over but nothing has happened." He set his food aside and moved to stand in front of me. "I want to be able to kiss you and hug you without having to be alone."

"OK," I sighed. "As long as nothing comes up then we'll tell them tonight."

He grinned and leaned down to kiss me. "Thank you."

"Uh huh."

I set my food aside as I pulled him back down to kiss me. I felt his hand gently skim my thigh as I brought my arms up to wrap around his neck. He deepened the kiss and I let out a moan as his tongue reach out to touch mine.

"Maybe we could tell them now?" He suggested as he kissed my neck.

I gripped his shoulders and let my eyes close. "Yeah, we're still waiting."

"We can do things like this if we don't wait."

"And I can do stuff like this either way."

I gently pushed against him and jumped off the wall. As I walked away I threw him a smile. He groaned but trailed behind me as we went back into the garage. He narrowed his eyes playfully at me before going over to work on one of the cars. I smiled happily to myself as I headed for the office.

While I was sat doing paper work I got that feeling again. I tried to ignore it but it became too much. I set my pen down and rolled my chair away from the desk. I glanced out of the window for what should've been a second but my breath hitched. Somebody was sitting on a bench across the road. They were staring right at me. A cold, unnerving, dangerous stare. My breathing started to change and it was suddenly harder to breathe.

The door to the office suddenly opened and I jumped. I snapped my head over to it. Jesse was stood there. He looked nervous as he shut the door. He's looked like that a lot the past week. He had been so optimistic but that soon faded when we could do nothing.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he fiddled with something in his pocket. "I didn't mean to make you jump."

"No, it's fine," I assured him. "I wasn't paying attention is all."

"Ah." He pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one up. He had started them up again during the past week. I had found out that he'd been smoking on and off for years, this was the longest he'd gone without them. I felt bad that that had been ruined.

"Jess, give me those." I stood up and held my hand out for them but he shook his head.

"No," he said stubbornly. "I've missed these."

"Jesse," I groaned.

"Look, I want to, OK? What's going on started it but I'm not quitting no matter what."

I hated how much the cigarette hanging from his mouth suited him. I walked over to him and took it. He frowned, trying to grab it back.

"You're right, I shouldn't stop you," I agreed. "But I don't believe that you really want to."

"Then why would I be?" He questioned as he watched the cigarette in my hands.

"You think they help, I know you do. So I'm gonna make you a deal."

"How would you know?" He asked, completely side stepping the question.

"We all have our ways, Jess."

He gave in and finally looked at me. "What deal?"

"You give these up." I indicated the cigarette in my hand then the packet in his. "While this shit is going on."

"Doesn't sound like a deal."

I ignored him. "If afterwards you still want them then I'll let you have them, no if ands or buts."

"And if I don't want them you proved a point," he nodded. "Yeah, fine, but I deserve that one."

I flicked the ash that had appeared from the slow burning. There was still a lot to it. I held it close to me as if pretending to think. He watched as the ash slowly dropped away. When I stopped my pretend-thinking the cigarette was significantly smaller. There were at least two or three drags out of it. Maybe four or five if they were deliberately slow. I let it burn a little more. Jesse went to snatch it as it did and I quickly flicked it so more ash fell.

"Here." I handed it to him.

He didn't miss a beat as his hand reached out, took it and put it to his lips. He took a deep, long drag till the cigarette burned away to a unsatisfying end. As he flicked it into the cold cup of coffee on the desk I snatched the packet out of his other hand.

"I didn't really agree to your 'deal', if you can even call it that."

I leaned against the wall and fiddled with the packet in my hand. "You like to bet so call it a bet."

He was holding me up against the wall and snatching the packet from my hand before I had time to think. My breath caught. This wasn't Jesse, my Jesse. I broke him. I tried to look away when I realised I wanted to cry but I couldn't. He dropped the packet and backed away suddenly.

"S-S-Sorry," he stuttered. He was pale and looking at the floor.

I stepped closer and titled his head up. "Hello, stranger."

He smiled awkwardly. "I-I-I didn't m-mean what I d-did."

"Jess, it's OK. But you keep disappearing on me."

"W-What do you mean?"

"This is you, Jess. I don't care about the smokes but I want you to want them when there's no trouble. Cause recently you've been different most of the time." I pulled him over to sit on the couch with me. "So please take my deal, or bet or whatever you wanna call it."

He nodded. "I was a jerk?"

"A little," I whispered. "But never as bad as V."

He chuckled slightly. "I want to be brave like them so I can help you."

"You help me by being like this."

"Yeah, right. No one thinks about me when they're around."

"Sure they do," I said softly.

"Any kind of situation and I'm the last to be thought about."

I pondered that for a moment. "That can't be true."

"In a race I'm first to be considered as mechanic, last to be considered as a racer. At parties I'm last to be considered a wing man, but first to be asked to plan the damn thing." He gulped, seeming a little uncomfortable. "Which brings me on to the most frustrating one. Girls. They all get some. I'm not considered at all in that category."

"Jess, you're better just like this. You don't need to change. I don't need you to be brave or emotionless. I need you to be you, that helps."

"You're only saying that because we're friends."

"I'm saying it because it's true."

I reached over and kissed his cheek. I felt his hand brush up to stroke my cheek. I smiled as I pulled away to look at him. He was smiling too but then it faltered. He was staring at the office door, I twisted to look. Dom was stood there and he didn't look happy.

I smiled apologetically at Jesse as Dom stormed off. I followed him out but he kept walking. I lost him as he climbed into his car and drove away. He had turned out of sight by time I was in my car and following. I caught up with him fairly quickly. I followed him all the way back to the house. He parked his car messily and headed up to the house. I was out of my car a split second later.

"Dom," I called as I followed him up the stairs.

He slammed his door shut, but I opened it instantly and stepped through. "Get out."

"Not till I find out what's got you in such a mood."

"I can barely hug you for too long without getting questioning looks," he growled. "But Jesse gets kisses on his cheek and Leon gets to lie down with his head rested on your lap."

"They're the closest thing I've had to best friends since the day I met Alex and Richie," I protested.

"That's not the fucking point."

I walked closer to him. He stood with his back to me so I reached out my hand to touch it. "Please, Dom. We're going to tell them tonight."

I was thrown up against the wall. "You think that matters? It doesn't matter how long it's been. I wanted to tell then from the start. And I know for a fact that this shit shouldn't change anything. You just don't want to tell them about us in general."

"Maybe you're right," I shrugged.

"I somewhat get it, that jerk was the last guy you were really with, I get that. I understand that you're probably worried that I'll mess you about or something. But I won't."

"I don't think that," I lied.

"Yes you do. And it pisses me off that you don't trust me."

I pushed him. "I have every right to decide what I want to tell people."

"Well we're telling them," he growled.

"We'll do it when I say," I argued.

He pushed me back up against the wall and before I could respond he was kissing me. He pushed his body up against mine. The force behind it all scared me but I couldn't help the way I wanted more. I pulled his shirt off as he deepened the kiss. He pulled me towards the bed as he lifted my top off.

I was picked up and put on the bed before I knew it. He undid his belt and let his jeans fall to his ankles before he pushed his boxers down. I got rid of my own jeans and underwear as he did it. He kissed me roughly as he hovered over me. I was caught off guard from all the heavy kissing when he entered me so I let out a slight scream. He seemed to stop but when he saw I was OK he didn't hesitate. He went harder and faster than he ever had in the past week.

I gripped his shoulders and tried to concentrate but soon I was seeing stars. I felt my release first before his followed soon after. He didn't slow his movements till his had come and passed. My breathing came heavy as he pulled away from me.

I crawled further up the bed as he backed away from it. I frowned as he changed. He looked up at me once he was. I wrapped the sheets around me, trying to cover up. I couldn't read him. He had a blank expression. I couldn't tell what he was thinking and it scared me. I choked on my words as he turned and left the room.

"Dom!" I shouted.

I scrambled from the bed and tried to run after him but I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to move fast enough. I reached for my clothes and tried to pull them on as quickly as possible. I was falling all over the place because I was in such a rush. I managed to pull my clothes on and I rushed to from the room to follow him.

When I got downstairs he was already in his car. I rushed over to mine and got in so that I could follow him to wherever it was he was going. I was surprised to see that it was the garage. I parked up and numbly walked into the garage behind him. Jesse looked nervously at me but gave me a thumbs up. I smiled a little at him till I saw Dom staring at me. I gulped and backed away. I didn't understand what had gotten into him.

"What's going on?" Leon asked as he came to stand next to me.

"What's going on? Oh, I'll tell you."

"Dom," I warned. "We agreed tonight."

"What's the difference?" He demanded. "Some bullshit excuse will come up between now and then."

Vince and Mia came closer to see what was going on. "What's happening?" Mia asked quietly.

He smiled at his sister, but it was a sarcastic one. "She's my girlfriend. Has been for the past week."

I gulped as the others turned to look at me. "Excuse me?" Mia asked in disbelief.

"Oh, it's true. I asked her and she said yes."

"What do you mean, Dom?" Vince asked.

"What do you mean what do I mean? I mean she's my girlfriend. Real, proper, we're together girlfriend. As in have sex, comfort each other, be there when fucking bullshit like this is going on."

"You do all that," I whispered.

"No, I do the first. But I can hardly do the others because you're afraid of telling everyone."

"You help," I mumbled.

"Not as much as I should," he sighed. I could see he was finally giving up and calming down. "I should be kissing you all the time so you know that everything is good. I should be holding you and telling you that I'm never going to leave. I should be kicking down doors and throwing punches, telling all of them to back off of _my _girl. I should be doing all that and more, except I'm not. But they are. I back off but you don't tell them to. I should be the last person to back off."

"I know and I'm sorry," I cried. "You were right before, I was too afraid to tell them. I don't deserve to be happy not when I brought all this drama to you. I don't know how this is going to pan out. I don't want you to have to leave me."

He rolled his eyes and came over to me. He picked me up and set me down on the nearest work bench. He stood between my legs, hands rested on them. He kissed me softly and I leaned my forehead against his chest.

"Is that what you're worried about?" I nodded against his chest and he chuckled. "We deal with drama on a daily basis, so that would never be an issue. If it was then I wouldn't even be here right now. As for the leaving you part, I never would. I mean, why do you think that I would?"

"Well if you got hurt then you'd probably leave me and if they got hurt then you would definitely leave me," I mumbled.

"Hey, if I get hurt trying to keep you safe then it's all worth," he whispered. "As for them getting hurt. If they're OK with it and were willing to put themselves in danger then I can't be angry with you. Not that I would be."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So don't worry about it."

I looked up and smiled at him. "Guess I just have to try and not get myself killed then."

"You're tougher than the lot of us, you'll be fine," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I could kick your ass," I told him as I wiped my eyes.

"Oh really?" He grinned. "Because we both know that's a lie."

"Yeah? You think so?" I asked. "How about we take this outside?"

He rolled his eyes. "I am not going to go outside and fight you."

I hopped off of the bench. "Chicken?"

"Fine," he smirked. "But don't complain when I prove you wrong."

I smirked at him before leading the way out. I noticed he wasn't following but I knew he would. I didn't look at the others as I headed for the exit. I couldn't face them. I didn't know how they would react to me keeping that a secret. As I reached the exit though I heard Leon call my name. It was quiet and broken. I knew he was upset, but as I went to turn to look at him, that was when the bullet hit me.

* * *

_It's been too long guys and I'm so sorry. I really have no excuses for it but I promise to update regularly again._

R&R


	20. Chapter 20

It was like an almighty punch to the chest. The loud bang that rang through my ears continued to stay even as I hit the pavement. I tried to concentrate on what was happening around me but it was hard to ignore the burning agony that radiated from my chest.

The blood caught my eye. It was pooling out around me and I knew it couldn't be good. The sheer amount of it scared me more than anything. The more blood I lost the less chance I had of surviving. I was too wrapped up in what was happening that I didn't realise I was surround.

The pain increased on my chest and I realised someone was trying to stop the bleeding. I was horrified to see that it was Jesse. He was too small and innocent to be here. But it was hard to resist his help and voice my opinion.

"Dom are they coming?!" He yelled.

"Yeah, Jess. Is she OK?"

"I don't know, I can't tell!"

I managed to lift my hand and rest on his as they applied pressure to my chest. "It's OK," I managed to croak.

"Oh hell no," Leon said. He knelt down beside me. "You owe me for keeping you and Dom a secret."

"If I survive," I groaned.

"If you weren't bleeding all over the floor I'd knock some sense into you."

I tried to smile but it just hurt. Everything hurt. I reached out my hand and was happy that Dom was there and took it. Jess became more relaxed with the pressure and started to cry Leon took over. I tried not to cry out as he applied more pressure than Jesse had been.

I felt Dom kiss my forehead and constantly push the hair out of my eyes. He never let go of my hand. I could feel them all around me but I couldn't make out what they were saying. My heart rate accelerated when I realised the pain was getting less and less, I wasn't a medical expert or anything but even I knew that was bad.

The sirens appeared but with what I could hear it was hard to judge where they were. My eyes started to blur and I felt my grip loosen on Dom's hand. It was hard to concentrate on anything. The pain was going and that scared feeling was no longer there. I felt so much lighter and free, like I could fall asleep...

* * *

I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't. From the strong smell around me I knew I was in hospital, which hopefully meant I was alive. If the afterlife was a hospital then I'd definitely be complaining to the man upstairs. I tried my eyes again but they were too heavy, way too heavy. I couldn't move anything, not even a finger. But even if I could, would anyone notice?

What was happening around me? I could hear and smell everything around me, but I couldn't open my eyes or move. Everything was heavy and that pain in my chest was back and... A tube... I was too busy concentrating on trying to open my eyes that I hadn't felt the tube that had been placed down my throat to help me breath. It was a miracle that I wasn't choking on it right now. That told me that this was in my mind and my body was still out of action.

Being trapped in your own mind always sounded like a scary thought but living it was more than that. It was frustrating as hell too. I wanted to wake up but I couldn't.

"Come on, Doc, shouldn't there be change."

The urge was even stronger when I heard Dom's voice. I heard him, and who I assumed was the doctor, walk towards my bed.

"She's stable-"

"But she's been like this for almost a week!"

A week?! Nearly a whole week stuck up in here with a tube down my throat?

"But you have to think what her body went through. That bullet only narrowly missed her heart. In fact if that bullet was over slightly in any direction it would have killed her. It's a miracle she's alive, she's lucky that bullet hit where it did."

"Yeah, I know that, and I know it was touch and go, that she should be dead right now. I'm just worried about how long she's been like this."

"I know, but I promise we will tell you if things take a turn for the worse," he assured.

I heard one of them leave and I assumed it was the doctor. I heard a chair being dragged across the floor then Dom held onto my hand. Suddenly I wasn't so scared anymore or frustrated.

* * *

Two days passed, just pass the one week mark, and I still couldn't wake myself up. There was still pain in my chest but other than that I felt healthy. So what was keeping me like this?

I felt someone sit on the end of the bed and I knew it was Jesse. He had been sitting there every time he came to visit. I heard them all sitting around.

"So when does this go down?" Leon asked.

"Tonight," Dom replied.

"Guys," Mia whispered. "She won't be happy."

"It's not like she can even tell us," Vince growled.

"He's right, Mi," Leon muttered. "Something needs to be done."

"What are we going to do?" She whispered.

"You're doing nothing," Dom warned. "We're getting Lewis tonight."

"And if he's lucky we'll kill him fast," Vince muttered angrily.

I was screaming inside. I couldn't let them go after Lewis. He wanted me for himself and he shot me. He didn't need them so imagine what he'd do to them. It was suicide going in there. I knew in a fight Dom, Vince and Leon could handle themselves but if Mia and Jesse got caught up in it?

I thrashed around inside of myself, trying my hardest to wake up. I kicked and I screamed but my body remained still. I could hear them discuss it with Mia making the odd sound here and there which told me she was afraid.

"We've got the fire power," Vince said.

"We've got the speed for the getaway," Leon added

"We have a pretty foolproof plan," Dom finished.

"You'll have me for look out," Jesse piped up.

"You're going to use me as bait."

The whole room went silent as Mia said it. I knew they were all watching her and I screamed, and I kicked and I tried my hardest to claw my way out.

I started to choke. I clawed at my throat as my eyes flew open. I couldn't breathe. They all watched me for a split second or two before they went into action. Dom was next to me as Leon got the doctor.

I gulped in the air as the doctor gently removed the tube. I tried to speak but nothing came out. They all watched me cautiously. I took a few deep breaths and got used to the feeling of being awake before I ripped into them for being so stupid.

* * *

_Hey, I know it's short and I'm sorry, but I promise the next one will be longer :)_

_R&R_


	21. Chapter 21

I shouted at them for a good hour or so before the doctor finally got me to sit back. When I did he checked my stitches. I would have a massive scar down my chest. He then went on to give me other checks. I personally thought he was being a bit too thorough but I had a feeling it was something to do with the boys. After my check-up the doctor told me that it would be at least 24 hours till I was released. I wanted to argue that but I wanted to shout at the others more.

"Are you all just that stupid?" I demanded as the doctor left the room.

"Come again?" Vince asked, clearly unconvinced.

"How many people did you see in the house?"

"Lewis, those three guys we saw with him last time and about four extra people," Dom explained.

I laughed and sunk into my pillows. "Yeah. There's gonna be triple that amount of people there. Maybe more, maybe less."

"Shit," Leon breathed. "How'd you know?"

"If he has a job and he's in a new place he hires new people," I shrugged. "Some will guard outside and some inside."

"Why all the extra bodies?" Dom asked.

"To keep him, Mark, Gavin and Carl safe," I explained. "They'll do all the main work and the hired help will ensure back up."

"I still think we could do it," Vince scoffed.

"Did you not hear her?" Leon asked in disbelief. "We couldn't even spot all those people and we were watching his place for hours!"

"Yeah, we shouldn't do anything," Jesse said quietly.

"It does sound dangerous," Mia whispered.

"Are you all serious?" Vince demanded.

"Yes," Dom said sternly. "The plan is off for now."

"For now?!" I asked angrily.

He nodded. "We have to do something, we always were going to, but we'll think of a better one."

If it weren't for the pain and how tired I suddenly felt, I would've argued. I sunk back into my pillows and sighed. Dom seemed to get the idea and told the others it was time to go. He warned them that if anyone did anything then they'd have hell to pay.

Vince grunted before leaving without another word. Mia carefully gave me a hug, as did Jesse before they left. Leon gave me a smile of encouragement before he too hugged me. He gave me a kiss on both cheeks before leaving.

I expected Dom to leave but he didn't. He pulled a chair closer and sat down. He held my hand and told me it was OK to go to sleep now. I squeezed his hand tightly. Sinking back into the pillows I closed my eyes.

* * *

I stirred as I felt someone slowly pushing my hair out of my face. I blinked my eyes a few times before I could open my eyes fully to the blinding light. It was a shock to see that it was Leon beside. I thought he'd be pissed off the most after finding out about Dom and I.

"Nice to see you awake," he smiled.

"Can I go home yet?" I whispered.

"You had no problems throughout the night, and if when the doctor checks you out you're still fine then you'll have to sign the discharge papers."

"The check better be fine," I mumbled.

"Yeah, it better be," he said softly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," I said quietly.

"No, it's fine."

"Well like you said, I owe you."

"You lived," he smiled. "That's good enough for me."

"I wanted to tell you," I told him. "I can't even begin to explain why I didn't, even I don't know."

"Do you want to be with him?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Then what are you so afraid of?

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"Well if you didn't want to tell us then I'm guessing you're afraid or hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Then you're afraid of something," he shrugged. "You might not know what it is, but you are afraid."

I smiled sadly. "You're not angry?"

"You deserve better, and I'm not on about me, but no I'm not angry."

I sighed with relief. "Thank God."

"I am worried about you though."

I glanced at him. "Why?"

"You haven't talked about Alex much," he said softly. "I mean you have briefly, but not really."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Tell me about her," he urged.

"She was my best friend, like a sister to me," I smiled. "Everyone thought we were sisters actually."

"Oh God, there's two of you?"

I hit his arm lightly before I continued. "We knew each other since we were kids. We were in the same foster home together. We were about nine but we got separated. We ended up meeting again a few years later in another foster home. This was the last one we were in before we ended up with Lewis. I got out first then after I got with Lewis I went back for Alex."

"Was she exactly like you?"

I nodded. "A lot nicer though, not that into racing but knew her way around cars. She was so smart and loving, but you'd be wrong if you thought she was weak. She could floor a guy twice her size in ten seconds flat."

"What made two girls like you so tough?" He asked curiously.

"A lot," I said quietly.

"Well what was so bad that you ended up with Lewis?"

"Trust me when I say I was very lucky with the foster homes I got, but they just didn't care. After a while of having kid after kid in your home they just stop caring. They don't love you like parents do. Sometimes they shouted and got a bit violent, but mostly they didn't care. It was a sad and lonely life."

"Doesn't sound so lucky."

"We could have gotten the really abusive ones."

"But you and Alex were happy when you got away from the system?"

"We would have been adults not long after but we couldn't wait to leave, so yes we were," I said happily. "We felt like a right pair of losers for having not thought it through properly but we had Lewis."

"Were you happy there?"

"At first," I nodded.

"Harper..."

"I'm tired, can we not talk about this?"

"OK," he smiled. "How do you feel?"

"It was nice talking about her," I admitted. "But we dwell on to subjects that I don't want to discuss."

"That's OK," he said softly. "I just don't want you to bottle up too much."

I smiled. "So what do I owe you?"

"Let me think about it for a bit," he chuckled. "I'll just go and get the doctor."

He disappeared and minutes later returned with the doctor. He checked me over much like he did yesterday and wrote down some notes. I tried to be patient throughout but it was way too much. The anticipation of getting out of here was too much to bear. I actually crossed my fingers while I waited for doctor to give his prognosis then I almost jumped with joy when he said I could go on the condition that I took it easy.

Of course I promise and an hour later I had the forms filled out and I was armed with stronger pain meds. Leon helped me out to his car, calling the team as we went to tell them that I was going home. By time we reached the car he had hung up so that he could help me and concentrate on driving. I smiled as I sunk into the car seat, way better than a hospital room.

* * *

When we got back home Leon helped me to sit on the couch. While I got comfy he disappeared into the kitchen get me some water for my tablets. He passed the cold, bottled water to me as he sat down on the couch beside me. I opened the water to take my tablets before I closed up the bottle and held it to my chest. It cooled off the growing heat for now.

I frowned when I had to put it aside as Mia brought in a tray of food. She set it down on my lap. I pouted when I saw it. It was a salad with bits of chicken and cheese in it. I got the whole take care of yourself side of it but after having to eat hospital food I really fancied a cheese burger. Even so I tucked in and smiled as I did so that Mia knew I was enjoying it. I almost hit Leon when I noticed he was trying not to laugh.

I managed to eat it all but I wished I hadn't. Leon rubbed my back slowly as I tried my hardest to keep my food down. One side affect of my pain killers: Loss of appetite. It had taken them so long to kick in that I had managed to eat all of my dinner before my loss of appetite started. My stomach wanted to be emptied and the taste of food on my lips was sour.

"Is she OK?" Dom asked as he sat on the other side of me.

"I am here," I mumbled before taking a sip of water.

"Oh, there wasn't anything wrong with the salad, was there?" Mia asked quietly.

"Other than the fact that it wasn't a cheese burger, no it was fine," I assured her.

"Why don't we go and lie down for a bit?" Dom offered.

I thought about it for a moment or two before I nodded. He came over to me as Leon made sure my tray was out of the way. I was about to get up when Dom lent down and scooped me up into his arms. He carried me like that all the way up to his room where he gently set me down on the bed. I instantly shuffled up so that my back up to the headboard.

He switched on the TV and put on a random show before he crawled into bed to sit beside me. He put his arm around me and I leaned gently into his side.

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"It doesn't hurt as much as you'd expect it to."

"You can tell me if it is..."

I shook my head. "No, I thought getting shot would hurt a hell of a lot more."

"Remind me to help you change the dressing before we go to bed properly."

I pouted slightly. "Do I have to?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I mean you could leave it, but do you really want to go back to the hospital early with an infection?"

"Fine," I sighed. "But I can do it on my own."

"I want to help."

"What happened while I was completely out of it?" I asked quietly.

"Leon kicked off a little," he admitted. "But he felt stupid so he asked me not to tell you, so pretend like I didn't, OK?"

"Why did he kick off?"

He shrugged. "Didn't think I was good enough for you."

"You are," I assured him. "What else happened?"

"Vince has been cleaning out his gun, Jesse just stayed on his computer whenever he wasn't working and Mia kept asking me about us."

I smiled a little at that. "What did you tell her?"

"That I felt bad 'cause I hadn't been able to take you out on dates and that I haven't been able to show you off," he said sadly. "But I also told her that we hadn't been going out that long, to be honest, I didn't really tell her that much."

"So, excusing Leon, they're all fine with it now?"

He nodded. "Did you ever think they wouldn't be?"

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"Are you OK now that they know? Because if you're not we can call this off for a while till you are."

"No!" I said quickly.

I shot forward a little as if to stop him but regretted it as soon as I did. I held a hand to my chest and snapped my eyes shut as the pain took over. He gently pulled me back to him and gently stroked my side. He kissed my temple softly. After a while the pain subsided and I relaxed back into him.

"It was only a suggestion," he said softly. "I was hoping your answer was no."

"Good," I whispered. "I need everything good to stay that way."

"And I'm one of those things?" he asked happily.

"Yes," I nodded.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," he said sternly. "I know that might be hard to believe now after what's happened but it's true. I'll always come for you, no matter what happens. You don't ever have to be worried about anything again."

I tried to respond but my eyes were slowly closing and I couldn't muster the energy to say anything. He didn't push me for an answer or move me so I assumed that he either didn't want one or he'd realised that I was out of it. My head fell forward a little and my mind seemed to slowly switch off to everything till I was completely surrounded in darkness.

* * *

_R&R_


	22. Chapter 22

The doctor told me to make sure I came back to the hospital in a week to get the stitches checked. If possible they would be taken out there and then otherwise I could be waiting at least another week. It had been four days since I had woken up and came home. The pain didn't vary much but the heat I felt around that area was slowly fading which told me I was getting better. I hoped when I went back I could get the stitches off. The dressings were a pain. Dom made me change them three times a day and whenever they got wet or dirty. It was horrible and took so much effort.

"I want you to pay the doctor off when we go to the hospital so he definitely will take my stitches out," I complained as I sat down on the couch.

"Never gonna happen," Leon chuckled.

"I hate you all," I groaned.

"Quit being a baby," Vince mumbled.

"How's about I shoot you in the chest then we'll see who's calling who a baby," I muttered.

"Do that and I'll pay the doctor to leave those stitches in for as long as possible," he shot back.

I stuck my tongue out at him and he gave the same childish reaction before we both sunk into our seats. Dom chuckled slightly as he put his arm around me. This was a regular occurrence of the past four days. Vince and I would always seem to wind each other up some way or another. Sure we were getting on way better than we did when we first met but we definitely weren't the others favourite person.

I spent more time with Dom than I had done before. I couldn't do much with my chest like it was but that didn't seem to get in in our way. He was too afraid to let me leave the house except to go to the mall or somewhere else that was always completely full of people. That limited what we could do together but we made the most of it. Whenever I wasn't with Dom I spent a lot of time with Leon. He still hadn't thought up a way for me to pay him back, and it started to worry me. I knew deep down that he really didn't care, it was just an excuse to get something from me for free. It was my time with Jess and Mia that had changed the most. We tended to hang out as a three. My friendship with Mia was always one of the weakest, but now I felt closer to her.

* * *

"Day six," I said happily as I spread out on the bed.

"Morning to you too," Dom chuckled.

"Sorry," I grinned. "But I could get these stupid stitches out tomorrow."

"_Could."_

I hit his chest lightly. "Don't say that."

"OK, OK," he said quickly. "Why don't we go freshen up?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head. I felt him leave the bed. I thought he had given up but he hadn't. Instead he scooped me up into his arms and carried me round to the bathroom. I refused to open my eyes as he moved me but I had to once he sat me down on the counter. We both brushed our teeth and washed our faces at first.

Dom helped me to lift my shirt up above my head. He gently peeled the dressing away and threw it in the bin. I crinkled my nose up as I looked down. It was horrible. Dom gave me a sympathetic look as he took out some stuff from the cupboards. He dabbed around the area with some special ointment that I was given before he gently reapplied the dressing.

"How's that feel?"

"Hmm," I whimpered as I rested my forehead against his.

"I know," he said softly. "But you heard the doctor, right from the start you did better than most people would."

"Still hurts though," I mumbled.

He brought his hands round to rub my lower back softly. We stayed like that till it started to get uncomfortable. Instead of helping me put the same top back on, he took me back to the room before he helped me to pull on a cleaner one. While he changed I did the same with the rest of my clothes. Once we were both dressed he took my hand in his and guided us downstairs.

The house, I was surprised at, was quiet. I knew they never went out now so it meant that everyone was still in their rooms. It was just after ten in the morning, normally everyone would be up. But I guess when you're limited to what you can do then it makes sense that you'd sleep as much as possible. I knew they were safe though so I wasn't going to complain. Instead I would enjoy the unusual silence.

I settled into one of the chairs at the kitchen table while Dom made breakfast. He started with making some coffee first, which I sipped while he went onto the food. I was given a slice of buttered toast to nibble on while he made me a couple of egg and mushroom rolls. When he finished those I snapped them up almost instantly and started eating. I wanted to eat and enjoy it before the pain really kicked in and I had to take those painkillers again.

Dom sat amused with his own rolls. I tried to ignore the fact that he was watching me, it was kind of off putting and I really wanted to eat. I finished in record time and pushed my plate aside. I sunk back into my seat, waiting for him to finish.

"If you didn't eat so fast then you wouldn't be left waiting," he chuckled.

"Yeah, but some of us have those horrid tablets to take."

"Talking about those, do you need any?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll wai-"

We both froze as we heard a window smash. Dom darted for the living room while I followed at a much slower pace. When I got there he was crouched down by the window with something in his hand. I went to step forward but he motioned for me to stay where I was.

Mia came down the stairs with Vince close behind. I glanced at them and they gave each other a confused look before wandering over to me. Just as they reached me, Leon and Jesse came out from the basement. I glanced sideways at them too.

"What happened?" Mia whispered.

I shrugged. "There was a smash. He won't let me move from here."

"Dude, what is it?" Vince asked.

"A rock," Dom said simply.

"A rock?" Leon asked in disbelief. "Remind me why we're stood over here then?"

I gulped. I had a feeling that I knew what this meant. "Throw me that rock a minute?"

He twisted round to look at me but still threw it anyway. I caught it and held it in my hand for a moment. I closed my fist around the rock, it didn't quite cover it but if my hand was slightly bigger then it would. I closed my eyes and threw the rock up and down. I sighed heavily when I realised I was right.

"You might all want to go out back or get down." They all watched me as I lay down on my stomach. I ignored the pain in my chest as I held my hands over my head in an attempt to protect it. "Seriously guys, do one or the other. And Dom, get away from the window."

He crawled over to me as the others hid in the kitchen. Dom was crouched down in front of me and I tried to pull him to lie down. Just as he pulled away from me, the bomb went off.

* * *

The ringing in my ears and the pain in my chest was horrible. There was no smoke in the house so I knew the bomb was definitely outside. Dom looked stunned, as did the rest of the team. I ignored them, knowing that they were OK, as I got up and walked closer to the window.

"Son of a bitch!" I screamed. My car was lying in a burnt out mess in the middle of the road. "He blew my car up."

I tried to scramble for the front door but Leon and Dom were quicker and stronger than me. They grabbed me and held me back.

"Let me go!"

"You shouldn't be this strong," Leon groaned.

"He killed my car!"

Dom reached over and kissed my neck softly. "If you calm down, we'll let you go, and then _we _will go and take a look."

I relaxed and they both slowly let go of me. Dom went outside first and I rushed to follow him. I could hear the others following. When we got outside I felt like crying when I saw my car. She was a goner. There was no way on Earth I could fix her up.

"Why would they blow up your car?" Leon asked.

"Lewis helped me to get her."

"How _did_ you get her?"

"I won her, but without Lewis I never would've been in the race or even been that good at racing."

"So what? He blows it up hoping that you'll run back to him and beg for another?" Vince scoffed.

"It's his way of saying that he'll buy me a better one if I come back."

"How did you know there was a bomb?" Jesse asked quietly.

"I've been on both sides of something like this," I whispered. "Lewis would get one of the boys to throw a rock through the window. The people in the house will come to the window to see where the rock had come from. That was when the bomb would go off. The inhabitants would see it and sometimes even get caught in part of the blast."

"Fuck," Vince breathed. "So you killed people?"

"I never set the bomb up or threw the rock, I was just there," I mumbled. "And nobody died. Just injured."

"Why did the bomb go off if we weren't near the window?" Dom asked.

"He either thought we weren't here or thought we figured it out."

"He isn't very subtle with his warnings is he?" Leon asked angrily.

"What are you thinking?" Dom asked me.

"If this is all really worth it."

"That sounds like you're giving up to me."

"Can I borrow someone's car?"

Vince I knew wouldn't let me. Leon and Dom both shook their heads and I turned to look at Jesse. He tried not to look at me but I refused to turn away from him. He eventually looked up and muttered something as he handed over his car keys. Leon hit him round the back of the head while Dom glared at him. I pushed pass them all and was in Jesse's car before they could stop me.

Dom pounded on the window with his fists but I locked the door and ignored him as I started the car up. He kept shouting for me to get out but I turned on the radio and put the volume so loud that it drowned him out. I chanced a look at him and the others before I was off.

I drove to the mall on the hopes that Lewis or one of the others were trailing me. I was going to meet him but I wasn't stupid enough to do it somewhere where I would be alone. If I did it somewhere public then there was a higher chance that he wouldn't do anything. When I arrived I was happy to see that mall was overflowing with people.

I went straight to one of the indoor cafes where I ordered myself a drink and sat down at one of the tables. Five glasses of water later and I was starting to think that maybe I had been wrong about him trailing me, maybe he left as soon as the bomb went off. But just as I was about to get up and leave he walked in with Mark.

He sat down and I stood for a moment before I sat back down. He smiled at me before he ordered a couple of drinks for himself and Mark. We waited patiently for the drinks to be brought to the table.

"So you're finally coming back?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Then why are you here?"

"To ask you to back off."

"To ask?" He laughed.

"Fine, to _tell _you."

Mark grinned as he leaned back in his chair. "How's the chest?"

"Can barely feel it," I muttered. "So why the sudden change?"

"What do you mean?" Lewis asked curiously.

"I almost died."

"Yes, well, he wasn't supposed to aim quite like that," Lewis said angrily.

"You told me to shoot her so I did."

"But I wanted her alive."

"Now, now, boys," I grinned. "Don't fight on my account."

Mark glared at me. "I won't even think twice about shooting you again."

"Try it."

"No one will be shooting you again."

"And no more bombs or other threats?"

He shook his head. "I can't promise that, but I can promise that if you come home with us that it will stop. I will leave your little friends alone."

"I'm staying with them," I told him. "I only came here to tell you to back off."

"Or what?" Mark chuckled.

I got up and shrugged slightlty. "You'll find out." I wandered out of the little cafe before they could respond. It was hard to ignore my body as it shook but I had to keep walking. I stuck to busy areas of mall as I walked so that there was no chance of a snatch and grab. When I was going down to the car park I walked down with a group of people and practically ran for Jesse's car.

_What was I thinking_? I was being beyond stupid by sending open threats to Lewis and the others. Fucking insane was probably a better phrase. It was horrible to think of how things had turned out. I had gotten away from Lewis and I was sure that I would never ever see him again but apparently that wasn't the case. As for the team back home, they would be pissed with me. I didn't know what to do.

* * *

Instead of going home I went to the hospital. I was getting the stitches out whether the doctor liked it or not. It took a while for me to be seen to but once I was the doctor happily checked me over. There was noinfection and it seemed to be healing up incredibily well, even if it didn't look like it to me. He wanted to leave it a couple more days just to be sure but I point blank refused. He was reluctant but after it looked like I wasn't going to give up he took them out.

I left the hospital feeling sore but a lot better. Not having to worry as much about my chest was a God send. I wasn't sure how it would effect me having the stitches out early but I didn't care. As long as I was alive and could do most of the things I wanted to, I really didn't care. After the hospital I went to Richie. The only person I liked and trusted who hadn't been involved in todays events.

When I arrived on his front step he seemed a little shocked but ushered me in. He made me sit down on the couch while he fetched me some water and painkillers. They didn't exactly do any good considering they were the weaker kind but I took them anyway and smiled as I did. We didn't say anything as we sat on the couch together. I looked straight a head, but he was turned slightly so he could watch me. It took a while but he eventually became frustrated with the silence.

"Are you gonna tell me why you're here or am I supposed to guess?"

"Remember the bomb tricks?"

"Yeah..." He said uneasily.

"They pulled it."

"Wow," he breathed. "Is everyone OK?"

I nodded. "But they weren't happy when I took off in Jesse's ride."

"Why not?"

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "I was going to find Lewis."

"You're an idiot," he muttered. "But how'd it go?"

"Might have dropped in an open threat..."

He smiled sarcastically. "You're dead."

"I know," I groaned. "But please don't be mad at me, everyone else already is."

"I still think you're an idiot."

"I accept that," I smiled.

"How come you're not using your ride?"

"_Boom_."

"Yeah, I can see why you went after him then."

I sunk back into my seat and folded my arms across my chest. "I miss my car."

"You do know that it's not safe for them, right?" he asked seriously.

"Yes," I whispered. "He took away my car and Alex. He's threatened your life and theirs, I won't let him take any of you, but they won't listen."

"Make them listen, Harper. You need to."

I gave him a small smile and a short nod. Sinking further into my seat I didn't respond. I knew he was right but it was trying to find a way to make them listen. Mia and Jesse would be easy enough to convince, but Vince loves a fight too much, and Leon and Dom were hell bent from the start. Convincing them would be a task and a half.

* * *

Jesse ran outside first when I arrived. I rolled my eyes as he went straight to his car and hugged it. The idiot was more concerned about his car's life. Leon and Dom, however, only had eyes for me. I gulped and flashed them a grin but they only advanced towards me. I hung my head, refusing to look at them.

"I got my stitches out," I said in an attempt to bring something happy to the conversation.

"Yeah, too early," Dom growled.

"The doctor didn't complain," I mumbled.

"Yeah, probably after you threw a fit."

I glared up at Leon. "I'm not _that _childish."

"What happened?" Dom asked angrily.

"I spoke to Lewis, I told him to stay away from you guys."

"And will he?"

"Only if I go back to him, which I won't."

"What else did you do?"

I shrugged. "Just told him he'd find out what would happen if he came after you guys."

"_I'm_ supposed to be protecting _you_," Dom groaned.

"No, we're supposed to be protecting each other," I corrected.

"Well, seen as you seem to be so sure about everything," Leon ground out. "What do we do now?"

"Step back, relax and think up a plan."

"We will think up a plan," Dom said sternly. "You'll sit at home with Mia and look pretty."

"No way, I'm in for the whole ride."

"Fat chance of that."

Leon was the first to head back inside. Vince and Mia were already by the door, they turned and followed in after Leon. Jesse kept his head down as he walked slowly passed us. He knew this could get ugly and like any sane person he didn't want to get in the way of it. Dom stayed where he was for a moment but as soon as I opened my mouth to talk he shook his head. I watched, annoyed, as he walked back up towards the house.

"This is my fight Dom!" I yelled. "You can't just strike me out of it. I get why you want it and as much as I hate it I understand. If you really want to do this, then do it, but you're not taking me out of the equation."

"You ain't in on this," he said angrily. "Get used to that."

He disappeared into the house and I stared angrily towards it. After a minute of trying to calm down I made my own way into the house. I pushed passed Jesse and Leon who had seemed to calm down. I headed straight for the kitchen and sat down at the table. I placed my head on the table and let out a very quiet "ow."

* * *

_Figured a long chapter was in need..._

_R&R_


	23. Chapter 23

I felt someone gently rub my back as my forehead stayed pressed against the kitchen table. It sent shivers up my spine but I couldn't deny how great it felt. After a while I tilted my head to the side and was surprised to see that it was Jesse. He was sat on one of the kitchen chairs, his chest against the back of it as he reached round with one of hand and rubbed my back. I gave him a small smile which he returned without ever breaking his pattern.

I heard footsteps and then the sound of chairs moving. I didn't look away from Jess to see who it was, I didn't care, but sounds gave them away. Vince made a noise in the back of his throat which told me he was slowly becoming annoyed. I heard the kettle and I knew that was Mia. A finger drew patterns on my chest, Leon. If Dom was there then he was keeping quiet, I couldn't hear him, but then why would he be sat in here?

"What do we do?" Leon asked quietly.

I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know."

"Surely you've had to deal with him before."

I sat up so I could turn to him, I was a little startled to see Dom was in fact at the table but I shook it off. "Look, when you're in his little team it's easy to deal with, there's never any crap like this. But I'm not with him or in his little click anymore so I don't know what to do. I've never been put in this situation before."

"I think it's about time we found out more about you," Dom whispered.

I looked down at the table. "I was bounced from house to house, that's how I met Alex. She was in the second last house with me. I'd met her before but that's when we really got to know each other. We got split up again but in my last house I ran away. It was fine at first but I was naïve to think that I'd be OK. That's when Lewis found me."

"And he just took you in?" Vince asked, clearly not believing my story.

"Yes. His little team was made up of outcasts and people who had nothing to lose," I shrugged. "It's not like any of us had a family to crawl home to."

"What happened after that?" Leon asked quietly.

"I was with him for a few months when I ran into Alex, things were going bad for her so I talked to Lewis and he agreed that she could stay with us seen as she was such a good friend. Things were great to be honest with you, then after another couple of months things went bad. I must have been with the guy for a year and a half or so before I left. It's been a year since I saw him."

"What was he like to make you leave?" Leon asked softly.

"When I first met him he was perfect, that's why being with him didn't seem too stupid or rushed," I smiled. "Everything about it was amazing actually, but I don't know, after Alex came things changed. I broke it off with him towards the end but he wouldn't accept it."

"He ever killed someone?" Dom asked seriously.

"Not that I've seen," I mumbled. "But probably."

"Then you have to understand why you can't be involved."

"I should be the only person involved in this," I sighed. "I get that you guys need to do this but he's my past not yours."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, OK?" He smiled. "No races tonight for you and Mia, and we'll all talk about this tomorrow."

It was definitely not what I wanted, far from it in fact but it was better than nothing so I just nodded. He gave me a small smile, and I could tell he was silently urging me to return it. I eventually returned it but I didn't feel it. All of this wasn't going to end well.

* * *

I leaned against the wall arms folded as the boys came downstairs, all ready to go out to the races. Vince walked out with only a wave of his hand. Dom came over and gave me a soft kiss before he followed Vince out. Leon hugged me and promised that we would discuss it tomorrow before Jesse squeezed me so tightly that I struggled to breathe.

After they'd gone Mia took my hand and pulled me into the kitchen where we sat down at the table. I happily accepted the mug of coffee she made and handed to me. It was silent as we both sat at the table, sipping our coffees.

"They're jerks, but they know you're right," she said softly.

"I need to be the one to knock him down a peg or two," I whispered. "And I won't stop them if they want to help but it's my fight too, it has been for a long time. I mean, Mia, I've been running from the guy for a year now, probably longer."

"They just want to help," she said quietly. "They always go about it the wrong way but they honestly have the best intentions."

"I know that," I smiled. "But they're too stubborn."

"Yeah, I'd love to say you get used to it," she shrugged. "But you don't."

"I can imagine, I'm surprised you hav-"

We both turned to look towards the front of the house as we heard cars pull up out front. No way the boys would have forgotten something or turned back. It was way too late to change their minds or for the races to be cancelled, and there's no way the cops got a head start on them, so who it was it? My best bet was Lewis.

I looked back at Mia and she seemed to have the same thought because she looked terrified. I motioned looked towards the door and she silently agreed. We both got up and she took hold of my hand as we bad out way out of the back door and round the side of the house. When we reached the front we stopped and quietly peered round.

Gavin and Carl were just walking into the house. I waited for them to enter before I grabbed Mia's hand tighter and started running. I could hear that Mia was struggling to keep up but I kept my grip on her. We couldn't slow down but I wasn't about to leave her behind.

We ran a couple of blocks before I started to slow down. I could feel my chest tighten as the pain coursed through my body. We kept up a slow jog but we stopped completely a block later. Mia doubled over as we sat down on one of the benches at the bus stop. I rubbed my chest gently with one hand while I fiddled through her pockets with the other, ignoring the strange look she gave me, I pulled out her phone.

She kept her eyes on me as I called a taxi. As I handed her her phone back she looked at me in disbelief.

"And where are we taking this taxi to?"

"To the boys."

"We can't take a taxi to the races!"

"We're not," I assured her. "We're taking the taxi most of the way then we're going to have to walk… Or run."

"Harper," she groaned. "I don't think I can run anymore."

"It'll be fine, we'll be fine."

She kept quiet and didn't argue which I took as a good sign. We were there for a long time before it finally arrived. We clambered into the back, still breathless from our run. The taxi driver looked at us through the mirror, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face.

I ignored it though as Mia and I slumped in our seats. It was nice to be sitting down and to be out from the open. But as we slowly arrived I started to panic. I hadn't noticed Mia's purse when I searched her pockets for her phone, and any money I had certainly wasn't enough.

"It's fine," the driver said, clearly noting my worry. "Free ride. It looks like you girls needed it."

"Are you sure?" I whispered quietly.

He nodded, giving me a small smile. "Yeah, it's your lucky day."

I kept thanking him as we pulled up and got out, and each time he told me that it was no problem. Mia thanked him too as we shut the door and he drove away. I wrapped an arm around Mia's waist as we walked towards the race which was about a block away.

It seemed safe enough to take a slow pace instead of running so I allowed it. It took us longer than I wanted it to but by time we reached the races we were both able to breathe normally and my body didn't hurt half as much. I searched the crowd as we walked but I couldn't spot the boys. The crowd was cheering and slowly moving so I figured there was a race going on, no doubt one of the boys were part of it.

Mia nudged me and pointed to the edge of the crowd. I sighed with relief when I spotted Hector. We pushed through the crowd and over to him. I tapped his shoulder gently. He stopped mid-sentence and turned to face me. He looked angry at first till he realised who it was.

"Where's Dom?"

"Racing, it's just finished actually."

I went to move but he motioned for me to stay before he told two of his boys to go and get Dom and the others. Mia and I leaned against Hector's car, impatiently waiting for the others to show up. When they did Dom pulled me in for a hug then pulled Mia up to join us.

I went to open my mouth to tell him what happened but Mia beat me to it. I stood stunned as she blurted out the whole ordeal without stopping to take a single breath. When she finished her cheeks flushed red and she fiddled with her sleeves.

"Are you sure it was just the two of them?"

"A hundred percent, we waited for them to leave before we ran," I told him.

"Shit, OK," he mumbled as he ran a hand over his face. "Vince take Mia in your car, we're going to pass the house and if it isn't safe we'll keep driving."

"You'll head to mine if it isn't safe," Hector said as he threw a key to Dom. "Just let yourself in and make yourself at home."

"Thanks, man." Dom said as he fiddled with the keys. "I'll drop them back tomorrow if we don't use them."

"No rush, just get your girls home."

Dom wrapped an arm around my waist as he said goodbye to Hector. Leon and Jesse headed for their cars while Vince guided Mia to his. Dom and I followed close behind. When we reached his car he opened the passenger side door for me. He let go of me for a moment to move his jacket off the seat so I could get in.

Just as he was pulling back out of the car I felt an arm wrap around my waist and a hand clamp down over my mouth. I kicked out but I was being lifted and dragged back. Dom turned and stood stunned for a moment before he ran towards me. He almost got to us but the crowd started to close around us and he was blocked out. I could see him pushing through, and the crowd was parting but not quickly enough. I tried to cry out and get away but it was impossible.

I was only released as I was thrown into the back of a car. I banged my fists against the window and tried to open the door but it was locked. Dom reached the car just as it drove away. He ran after us before he stopped and ran back towards the car. I felt the tears stream down my face as we drove away from the crowd and everything started to look much smaller. I kept my eyes on the back window, not wanting to see who had grabbed me.

* * *

_Hello lovelies... It's been a while and I'm so sorry. I had this major deadline for two pieces of coursework so I didn't get any time to write :( but that deadline is gone and I should only have revision for a while so more time to write! So expect lots of updates :)_


	24. Chapter 24

I groaned as the pain in the back of my head screamed at me. I blinked a few times as I looked around the room I was in. It was a bedroom, and surprisingly well furnished which suggested to me that either Lewis and the boys were staying here permanently or it belonged to someone that one of them knew. Either way there was everything you needed in a room, but when I checked the door I realised it was locked from the outside and as I turned around I noticed the windows were nailed shut. They'd really gone the whole way.

As I sat on the bed I rubbed the back of my head where they'd struck me after they pulled me from the car when we arrived. It stung even with the lightest of touches. I wasn't really doing well when it came to my health. No doubt things would only get worse the longer I was here for., wherever "here" was.

I heard the door open, and as I looked up Carl walked in saying, "you up yet?"

"If one of you hadn't of hit me over the head then I would have been up before now."

"That was Mark," he informed. "And you don't even know how long you've been out."

"I know it's been for a few hours, because it's daylight now."

"It's lunch time," he smiled as he set a plate on the bed.

I studied the sandwich that was on it as Carl closed and the locked the door. The sandwich did look good, it was tuna and mayonnaise but I wasn't sure if I could trust that it wouldn't cause any harm. So instead I pushed it away and ignored Carl as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's not got anything harming in it."

"And why would I believe you?"

"You wouldn't," he shrugged. "Which means we would already have know you'd be suspicious so putting anything in the sandwich would be pointless."

"And I could say you thought all this through and figured I would think it was safe in the end so that's why you put something in it," I shrugged. "And we could keep going like this. Face it, I don't trust any of you, so if that means I don't eat for a while then that's fine by me."

"Suit yourself, but you should know that Lewis doesn't want you dead."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm really supposed to believe that."

"He doesn't... He cut your cheek for a warning, he blew your car up knowing you weren't near it and the shooting was never supposed to be a kill shot."

"Well, it was pretty damn close."

"You should feel lucky to even be alive."

"Why am I even here?" I ground out.

"You know why," he muttered.

"What's the point if I don't want to be here?"

He stood up suddenly, and turned to glare at me. "Well you better get fucking used to it."

I narrowed my eyes at him but he turned around and made his leave. I flinched as the door slammed shut and the lock clicked on. Once Carl's footsteps had disappeared I made my way across the room and over to the window. The nails used to keep it shut were buried in deep so there was no way I was getting out without tools. The only other way would be to pick the lock on the door.

I searched the room for something to pick the lock with, it took me a while but I managed to find something. It was hard to tell what it was but it was strong and in good enough shape so I hoped it would work.

Working on the lock took longer than I thought it would, but it finally clicked open and I was able to push the door. I poked my head out. I was at the end of the corridor, which was completely empty. Stepping out of the room, my eyes constantly scanned the doors along the corridor in case someone stepped out.

Excitement and fear grew inside of me the closer to the end of the corridor I got. The excitement was due to the prospect of escaping but the fear was the prospect of possibly getting caught. As I got closer to the end of the corridor the entire was silent. I couldn't hear anyone on this floor or the floor below, something I couldn't decide was good or bad.

I almost jumped for joy when I reached the end of the corridor and the stairs. I just had to get down them then sneak out. I only prayed that the door was near the stairs and I'd be able to get out quickly and easily. As I took the first step I felt something hard strike the back of my head before I fell.

* * *

When I woke up the ringing in my ears was intense. My head was pounding and I had to blink a fair few times before my vision cleared. This time I was in what looked like a garage. If I was in the same place then it was probably an attached one. There were chains around my wrists and I was being hung from the ceiling, my arms above my head. I could feel the pressure building up in my shoulders and I wondered how long I'd been hanging here for.

"Help!" I called, knowing it was stupid and probably pointless.

"Ah, you're awake," Lewis said happily as he walked in with the boys.

"Let me down," I groaned.

"Nope," he said as he rocked back on his heels. "You'll try to escape again."

I hung my head and tried to ignore the pain. "No I won't."

"You will, I know it, we all know it."

"Then why not just let me go?"

"Never going to happen," he chuckled.

He stepped closer to me and pushed me slightly so I swung around. I ground my teeth together as it pulled on my arms. When I finally stopped swinging I noticed the others laughing. I spat at Lewis and tried to kick out. To say he didn't look pleased was an understatement, in fact he looked pissed.

The back of his hand struck my face before I knew. I felt the tears spring, and they stung as they spilled over and fell down my cheeks. I clenched my jaw, trying to regain my composure and rid myself of the sting, but it didn't work and now the tears were flowing more freely.

His fist struck me next, this time in the stomach. If I could have curled up I would have, but in my current position it was impossible. So instead I had to breathe slowly through it and wait for the pain to pass. But almost as soon as it did he took another shot and this one was much more powerful.

The shots kept coming but the placement of them always changed so I never knew what to expect. That was the worst bit, when he first started I could guess where he would strike and prepare myself but when he kept changing tactics I had no time to prepare myself.

Eventually he gave up and stepped away. He was panting and the look of anger was still there. Everything in my body ached and I could feel the blood and sweat dripping down from various points in my body. It was horrible and I couldn't do anything to wipe it away or make it better. So instead I hung my head and closed my eyes, in a feeble attempt to shut everything out.

* * *

_R&R_


	25. Chapter 25

When I came to I was still hanging there. My head was ringing, my body ached and my arms/shoulders were dumb. It was hard to concentrate and I knew I looked a complete and utter wreck. I tried to lift my head but it was impossible, so instead I was left staring at the floor.

As I hung I heard the door open and close a few times but no one came over to me or spoke so I had no way of telling who it was. The only conversation I heard was outside of the door before it opened, and then again after it closed. No one bothered with me and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

The final time they came in they actually acknowledged me. Carl untied me and gently lowered me to the floor where I managed to curl up. Everything hurt and I only wanted to sleep. I heard the chains being moved and as he leaned down to pick me up again I lashed out. I didn't want to be near any of them. At least when I was hung up I was away from them.

"Fine," I heard Lewis say. "Stay here, no skin off our backs."

I could hear someone walk away and I assumed it was him. A few minutes later another set left which I assumed was Carl. I couldn't hear anyone else and no more footsteps led away so I assumed it had only been them two.

Lewis was wrong though. I wasn't going to stay here, no way in hell was I, but I knew if I moved down I had no chance of getting out and I would cause myself more harm than good. So instead I would stay here and regain some strength so I had some sort of a fighting chance.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke I felt a little better and there was a bottle of water beside me. I studied it, and was happy to find that the seal hadn't been broken meaning it should be harmless. As I stretched out to grab the bottle my shoulder protested and my ribs ached but I needed that water.

When I finally had it I opened it as quickly as I could. I took a sip, but by time I was done half of the bottle's contents were gone. I didn't realise how thirsty I actually was and now that I'd drunk something it was impossible to ignore the hunger growing in my stomach.

I could eat later though, when I was out of here and far far away. There was no way in hell I was going to be as stupid as I was on my first escape attempt. I knew exactly what would happen now if I did.

Placing the bottle away from me, I managed to roll onto my back. The floor was cold and it cooled my sore back almost instantly. I stretched my legs out so that they were straight. I tried to stretch them as far as I could, ignoring the pain that shot through them as they did. Thankfully the pain was bearable, but as I stretched my arms up in the air as far as they would go the pain was a million times worse.

"Shit," I hissed.

But I pushed passed it. I stretched my arms as best as I could before I rested them beside me. I placed my hands firmly on the concrete around me and pushed myself up into a sitting position. I shuffled back a little to give myself some support.

I placed my hands on my lower back and stretched. I heard something click and after a couple of minutes of searing pain I felt so much better. I managed to get myself up into a standing position. I stretched my legs out again but as I went to raise my arms above my head my ribs protested.

My arms came flying down to wrap around my middle. This gave me the conclusion I needed. My legs were fine, a little tired but fine nonetheless, meaning I could walk out of here. My arms were OK, but got worse the closer to my shoulders you go, but as long as I didn't have to lift them too much I would be fine. It was my lower back, chest, ribs and stomach that had the worst of it. I hoped my back wouldn't cause too much trouble, and as long as I didn't get into more trouble or have to lift anything or stretch then I would be fine.

So, my chances didn't seem very good but staying there was not an option. I leaned down and just managed to pick up the bottle. I drank the last of the water as I walked around, trying to get used to the feeling. I was right though, just walking and raising my arm enough to drink the water wasn't too painful.

Once the water was empty I left the bottle on a workbench and looked around the room. There was the garage door but it was blocked. By time I moved all the crap in front of it someone was bound to come back. Granted it probably wouldn't be for a while. The room wasn't that cold and the water was freezing, meaning that it had been a fridge or freezer not that long ago, so the chances of someone coming back in soon was highly unlikely.

But was I going to take that chance? No. So that left the door that led back into the house or the windows. The windows were high up and small so even if I could fit I would have to get to them. And the door was more than likely locked, so where did that leave me?

* * *

What felt like hours later I managed to get everything I needed. I searched some of the boxes that blocked the garage door. I found some old car parts, I took a broken wing mirror and managed to break off a piece of whatever mirror was left. After that I managed to find something sharp and pointy, although it didn't look very strong so I wondered if it would pick the lock successfully. The last two things I found was an old socket wrench, scissors and an old tape measure.

I managed to cut off a length of the tape measurer and then the little metal bit off the end. I ripped a strip off a nearby rag. I used that to tie the mirror to the end of the tape measurer strip. Once it was secure I gently held half of it under the doorway, I gently pushed it out till I was able to see outside the door in the mirror. I couldn't get a great view either side but I didn't hear anyone come towards where I was so no one seemed to notice it.

It was a start at least. I pulled it back in then started to pick the lock. It didn't take as long this time and when the door clicked open I didn't open it fully. I opened it barely an inch and peer through. I was faced with a room; it looked like a small outhouse. The side I could see was completely clear so I opened the door a tiny bit more. I held the mirror in front of me then slowly extended it out. I looked in the mirror and could see what was on the other side, and it was nothing, just a wall with a drier against it.

Pulling the mirror back in and setting it down on the ground I grabbed the socket wrench and stood. I would have taken the scissors but they were small meaning I would have to get closer. Whereas the socket wrench was bigger, meaning I could cause damage and not have to get as close.

When I stepped out I ducked straight away. It was an outhouse, but it attached the garage to the kitchen. The wall that also belonged to the kitchen was half wall half window meaning anyone in there would be able to see me. I sat on the floor again beside the door which had four glass panels.

"Breathe," I told myself.

As I turned my head to have a look through the glass I could see the kitchen was empty. So far so good, but this happened last time and my luck ran out eventually. This time I wasn't about to get too excited when something went my way.

I managed to lift myself again and stumbled through the kitchen. There were two doors. I attempted door number one and was faced with a dining room, there was a second door but not wanting to waste too much time I went back to the kitchen and tried door number two. This one was the living room. As I stood surveying the room I heard to cars zoom off.

"Please be them leaving," I prayed.

I knew it wouldn't be all of them, I wasn't that lucky. But the less people I had to deal with the better. But Just as I thought about I heard voices coming towards the living room. I ran to door number one and just as I saw the door to the kitchen I ran through to the dining room. I heard them moving around and I quickly moved to the other door in the dining room.

It opened up to a hallway. There were no doors, just one bay window and a door at the end. The bay window only hand small windows that opened near the top so the door was my only option. I gripped the socket wrench as I walked, knowing this would be the worst place to get trapped.

I sighed with relief when I reached the door at the end of the corridor. When I opened it I couldn't believe my luck. To the left was the large hallway that greeted you when you walked through the front door. And oh the front door looked more beautiful than I ever imagined. Gripping the socket wrench harder I walked quietly over to the door. I looked around me constantly as I did.

Reaching the door I slowly reached out and gripped the handle, but as I did a pair of arms wrapped around me. My arms were trapped by my side so I couldn't lift the socket wrench to attack. Instead it dropped from my hand. Panic coursed through my as I was dragged away from the door but then I heard it. The very sounds that told me I was safe.

The unmistakable sound of the team's engine rushing down the street.

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys, I know the updates have been all over the place a little lately but that should be changing soon. I finish school on Thursday for two weeks and I get a new laptop for Christmas so hopefully I'll be able to update a lot more._

_R&R_


	26. Chapter 26

My heart beat faster and faster as the sounds of their engines got closer to where I was. I just knew it was them, I could tell by the sound and how the cars were being driven. It was too exact and professional not to be them.

It seemed that Carl and Lewis thought the same because I was suddenly held tighter than before. I tried to ignore the pain, hopefully it wouldn't be for much longer. Carl's hand clamped down over my mouth to stop me from making any noise as he dragged me back till we hit the stairs. Lewis stood in front of us, hand hovering near the waistband of his jeans where he no doubt had a gun or some other sort of weapon.

I held my breath as the engines cut off. I couldn't hear footsteps or voices which told me it either wasn't them or they had thought a plan through. The second one seemed more likely to me, but that might have just been due to the situation I was in.

Eventually I saw something that assured me that someone was outside. Shadows flickered through onto the floor under the door as somebody walked passed it. Carl seemed to tense, knowing that this could be the end of everything. I was more than thankful that Mark and Gavin had left, I only hoped that they wouldn't be back any time soon.

"Make sure you keep her there," Lewis growled. "Only leave the room if I tell you to, got it?"

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"I wouldn't have said it otherwise," he snapped.

Carl just nodded and kept a tight hold on me. I wished he wouldn't, it hurt like hell, and really, where was I going to go? The door clicked a couple of times and his grip got even tighter. If his hand wasn't over my hand I would have snapped at him.

Eventually the door pushed open a crack. I'd stopped breathing all together. As the door swung open all the way I tried to pull away from Carl but he wouldn't budge. I sighed with some relief when Dom walked in followed by Vince and Leon.

Dom held up his hands as Lewis pulled out his gun and pointed it towards him. Lewis stilled his actions but still kept the gun trained on him. Before I could blink Dom's arm shot forward and he twisted Lewis' hand. The gun fired but the bullet shot passed the left side of Dom's head and over Vince's.

Vince ducked and Dom's face scrunched slightly, no doubt recoil from the loud bang. But he continued to apply pressure and eventually the gun fell out of Lewis' hand. As it did Dom's knee came up and made contact with Lewis. From the angle I couldn't see where exactly he had hit but I could guess.

I watched as they fought but suddenly I was turned around and being pushed up the stairs. Carl still had a grip on me and his free hand was over my mouth, meaning that I couldn't grab anyone's attention. That didn't stop me from trying though; I kept struggling till Carl shouted for me to be still. I did as I was told and held my breath, hoping one of the others had heard him shout.

We had barely gone up a few steps when Carl and I were knocked forward. As I rolled onto my back I saw that it was Vince who had tackled us. He was fighting and trying to stop Carl from getting up the stairs towards me. I crawled backwards up the stairs trying to get away from him.

Carl was kicking out and trying to crawl towards me but Vince managed to grab hold and pull him back down the stairs. I tried to stop crawling but I couldn't stop. Vince noticed and he headed up the stairs towards me. By the time he reached me I was almost at the top of the stairs.

"Harper, stop," he said quickly.

"No," I stuttered, not entirely sure why I didn't want to.

He knelt on the steps in front of me and placed his hands on my knees. "Please."

That snapped me out of it. Since when did Vince say "please" and not sound sarcastic?

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't be," he smiled. "And you look like shit by the way."

I went to respond or at least hit him but my eyes fell on the scene behind him. Carl was on his knees, hands on his head in a form of surrender. Leon was stood near him bruised and bloody, trying to catch his breath. In the centre of the room was Dom and Lewis who were still fighting. They both looked a mess, bloody and bruised. Lewis' nose looked broken and his cheek had a gash across it, good, the dick deserved it. But my eyes fell completely on Dom, he was limping and his arm was hanging lower than usual, telling me it was probably dislocated.

I pushed pass Vince and ran down the stairs towards them. I didn't want to admit it but it looked like Dom was about to lose. But as I hit the bottom step a pair of arms wrapped around. Vince whispered for me to calm down and stay but all I could concentrate on was Dom. I had to get to him but Vince wouldn't let go of me.

"Shit, Leon, come here!" Vince yelled.

Leon whipped round, clearly shocked by my attempt to get away from Vince. "What's going on?"

"I need to help Dom but you have to hold her so she can't come near us, OK?"

I saw Leon nod but I still kept struggling. Suddenly Vince's arms disappeared. I got a few steps forward before another pair wrapped around me. I cursed and continued to struggle. Vince ran towards the pair and tackled Lewis to the floor. As they wrestled across the floor Dom took that moment to breathe.

"Geez, Harper, calm down," Leon begged.

"They're going to get hurt," I cried.

"Yeah and with your injuries you're going to get yourself killed if you keep struggling!"

"I don't care," I groaned. "Let me go."

Leon started to say something but stopped. I cooled my movements and looked up at him. My eyes followed his and they fell on Dom. He was walking away from the fighting pair and disappeared through the doorway that led to the living room. When he came back out he had one of the pokers from the fireplace. Leon and I both seemed to tense as he held it in his good hand and walked closer to the pair. Lewis managed to pin Vince down, exposing himself to Dom.

"Crap," Leon muttered.

Dom's arm rose then came flying down. The poker struck Lewis' back and he rolled away from Vince. Dom kept striking, repeatedly hitting his chest and stomach.

"Not again," Leon groaned.

He let go of me and we both rushed forward. Leon got to Vince and helped him up while I attached myself to Dom's good arm to stop him from attacking. He kept trying though and eventually he stopped, but only to push me out of the way.

As I hit the floor all the pain I'd been trying to ignore hit me. I cried out and the room went silent, all but Lewis' groans. Dom whipped round and his eyes went wide as they fell on me. The poker dropped from his hands and he knelt down in front of me.

"Baby, are you OK?" He asked as he helped me to stand. "I didn't mean to push you."

"I'm fine," I ground out.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lewis stand. Obviously Dom hadn't hit him hard enough. I stepped away from Dom as Lewis stumbled closer. I swung round and punched him. My fist made contact and he grabbed me. I gripped onto him and brought my knee up to make contact with his groin. He hissed and let go of me as he fell back the floor.

I blinked repeatedly and shook my head in an attempt to clear it. Feeling light headed I stumbled backwards and into Dom who caught me. As things started to go dark I heard another engine and knew there was a high chance it was Mark and Gavin returning. Knowing it was far from over I tried to hold on but I could barely hold myself up and my eyes just wouldn't stay open.

* * *

_R&R_


	27. Chapter 27

Hearing the sound of two more engines seemed to make me more alert. I managed to hold myself up a little more independently but my eyes were still a struggle to keep open. As my vision was lacking me somewhat my hearing seemed to pick up. I prayed the sound of the engines were just the team getting the cars and bringing them closer but from the movement around the room I figured Dom and Vince were still in the room, and I could feel Leon holding me up still.

My eyes seemed to finally focus when the door burst open. My vision seemed to come and go but when it did manage to focus I was faced with the image of Mark and Gavin fighting with Dom and Vince. I knew they had the advantage with Dom and Vince having already been in a fight not too long before.

Noticing my urge to move Leon helped me to sit up. I had to lean on him a little but suddenly I found myself with strength I didn't know I had. Focusing on the fight I was happy to see that Vince floored Gavin with no problem. He went down with a grunt and remained there, not moving. It was then that I heard a thump. As I whipped round I was horrified to see Dom on the floor.

Mark was advancing towards him and it didn't seem like Dom was going to be moving fast any time soon. My vision was still in and out of focus but I suddenly felt less tired. With a little help from Leon I managed to get to my feet. It was clear he wanted to advance forward and help but figured it was best to stay with me.

My mind raced as Mark got closer. It got so fast that without thinking I rushed forward, finding energy that would probably be overused. I managed to stop between Mark and Dom, only to have Mark lunge forward.

I could feel my breath hitch as something sharp pierced through my middle. I looked down to see a knife sticking out of me. Mark pulled it from me and advanced backwards ever so slightly. I instantly grabbed at my stomach, trying my hardest to not think about the pain and how bad I was starting to feel again.

From the corner of my eye I could see Leon running towards me. As he caught me Mark tried to move forward for another attack. Before he could reach us Vince grabbed him from behind and held him back. As I let Leon hold all my weight I could hear Dom stir but I also noticed the gash on Vince's upper arm. From the look on his face it pained him to be holding onto Mark so strongly.

A wave of relief washed over me as I heard the sirens. They were normally my least favourite things in the world but considering our current situation I was about to send them away. The others seemed to have the same relief; however Lewis and the boys seemed to have the same worried looks on their faces.

As the sirens got closer they tried to escape but Lewis could hardly walk after I kneed him, Gavin kept holding his head and Vince still had a grip on Mark. Carl was the only one who could realistically get away but as he tried to the police stormed the place.

I finally let my eyes close when I was sure we were safe. At first there was shouting: Dom demanding to know if I was OK and Leon shouting that we were innocent. Eventually I found myself being reassured by a paramedic and then I was lifted.

* * *

As my eyes slowly opened I was greeted yet again with a hospital room. The only thing that comforted me was the fact that the team were there. Dom was bandaged up from what I could see. He wore a white wife beater and it seemed that bandages were wrapped around his chest and shoulder. Vince I could see had one around his arm where the gash was. I sighed with relief when I saw Leon, Jesse and Mia… All of them looked safe and good.

"Do you remember what happened?" Dom asked softly.

"I think so… My head is pounding though."

"Yeah," he nodded. "You lost a lot of blood."

"When can I go home?"

"Not any time soon," Dom smiled sadly. "You took quite a beating and they found it hard to stop the bleeding after you were stabbed."

"But they did, right? So I should go home."

"It's just to ensure you rest," Leon piped up. "And to make sure you can get any treatment you need if you take a turn for the worse."

"But I won't," I complained.

"Hey, don't complain," Vince warned before turning more cheerful. "They have the best pain killers in here."

I sunk into the pillows with a sigh. "Well what happened with Lewis and the others?"

"Arrested," Leon explained. "Still there actually."

"How long ago was that?"

"Well this all happened not last night, the night before."

"I was out for that long?" I asked, shocked at the news.

"You seemed to need it," Mia smiled softly.

I nodded but sat quietly after that. They all discussed what happened, Jesse and Mia clearly only hearing some of it for the first time. Hearing everything again was exhausting and I tried my hardest to tune things out. I still felt like crap, hell, I felt like death but I wanted to be out of the hospital and back at home so I could think about putting all of this behind me.

As my mind tried to wander away from what happened Richie walked in. The others approached him and Dom talked quietly with him for a while, no doubt explaining what had happened. When he was finally free Richie came over to me.

I gave him a smile and he sat down on the bed beside me. He gently wrapped an arm around me and I leaned into him. Whenever I was near him when I was seriously ill or not feeling a hundred percent he would wrap his arm around me and just be there. It was easy, neither of us had to talk. It made me happy to have at least one person from the old life in my new one.

That thought had my mind wander back in time to when Alex was still alive. My Alex. In all I could only bring one of the two good parts of my old life forward but I tried not to think about that fact. Seeing the team watching me carefully made me feel safe and like for once I had people looking out for me so that I could finally relax.

* * *

A/N: _Only one or two more chapters left. Thank you to everyone who reads this, follows this, favourites this and reviews this._

R&R


	28. Chapter 28

Three days later I was still in the hospital. The various bruises and marks were still visible on my skin but most of the marks were fading or scabbing over and the bruises were turning into a horrible yet healthier looking colour. My head started to hurt a little less and from the scans it was shown that I had no brain damage. My more lasting injuries included a couple of broken ribs, a couple of fractured ribs, the stitches where the knife pierced through my skin and the reddening scar from when I was shot. Since becoming part of the team's family I had experienced more damage to my body than I had in the whole nineteen years of being alive. However, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision of wanting to be with them and finding myself a home.

Throughout those three days the team would come in as group at least once a day then individually throughout. Richie came too but by the second day he finally broke the news that he was moving across country to New York for business. He was going to try and make something of himself meaning that seeing him would be rare. That had set me back but the team reassured me that it wasn't the end of the world and I would see him again.

During visits I was brought the usual: flowers and grapes. But on occasion I was bought other things like books, a drawing pad and other such entertainment that would be allowed inside a hospital. They kept me going and so did the light hearted conversations with the team but by time the fourth day came a long I was beyond fed up.

"You could at least try to enjoy your time in here," Leon laughed as he came in.

"It's a hospital, it's hard to enjoy myself," I mumbled. "Is it just you?"

"No," he shook his head as he sat down on one of the seats. "The others will be here shortly. They all needed some coffee and Mia's getting some food from the café."

"So you haven't come here to help me escape?"

"No," he chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint."

I pouted as the others came into the room. Each of them greeted me before they took their places around the room. It made things feel a little bit better, more at home. Mia split the sandwich she had bought with me and Dom handed me a bottle of water that he had got from the vending machine.

Just as I was finishing the sandwich and setting the half empty bottle on the side the door opened. Two cops walked in, and to my horror, Crowley walked in too. I hadn't seen him since he tricked me into setting Dom up all that time ago. I wondered what on Earth he was doing here.

"Hello," the female cop said. "We came in a couple of days ago to try and talk with you but were turned away so you could rest. Upon hearing how bad you were we left it a couple of days before we came back to try again."

"Oh," I nodded. "How can I help?"

"We've got an idea of your injuries from the doctors and what we saw when you were first brought in," she informed. "And as you were attacked it was protocol for the doctors to note any injuries and keep evidence till we got there."

"What sort of evidence?"

"Markings on your body that could be used in your favour in the courts, any DNA from your attackers, that sort of thing."

"Did you get anything?"

"You were moved about so not much," she smiled sadly. "But what we do have along with your friends as witnesses and the CCTV outside the building we can prove no one else could have attacked you but them."

"Them being?" I asked, wanting to confirm things.

"Lewis Suarez, Carl Jacobs, Mark Eric and Gavin Rhodes."

I sighed with relief. "So why do you need to talk to me?"

"We need a statement," the male officer said. "There is a lot to prove it's them but we need more. A statement from you could work."

"Right, so you have evidence to tie them to me and CCTV shows only them coming and going from the house before these guys came to find me," I said motioning to the team. "Am I right?"

He nodded. "That is correct. We've ruled your friends out which means it has to be them. The judge wants to hear your side of the story too."

The team quietly filed out and left us alone. The female officer was the one to sit beside my bed and ask me the questions. It was routine: who were the people who attacked me, what did they do to me, why did they do it to me, can I clearly identify the people who attacked me if I was faced with them. For the last part of it all I was provided with pictures. Because I knew their names (as stated in the earlier part of the questioning) I put the right name to the right face. Once the questioning was out of the way I was asked to write out a statement.

All the while I couldn't ignore the fact that Crowley was across the room watching me. He hadn't said or done anything since they arrived and by time the questioning and statement writing was over an hour, probably more, had passed.

The female cop (whose name I found out to be Rosa) patted my leg gently and the male cop (whose name I found out to be James) gave me a reassuring smile before they left. As they did I thought Crowley was going to go as well but he suddenly stopped. As the cops left he turned around and came over to my bed. I automatically shifted away from him.

"You know, I'm glad they didn't kill you," he grinned. "I haven't given up on Dom yet, and I sure as hell haven't given up on you."

"What's that supposed to me?" I asked quietly.

"My streets will be safer when you two are locked behind bars," he hissed.

As he walked away chuckling I shouted for Rosa and James to come back in. They rushed back in and I could see Crowley tense up. They looked between him and I before Rosa came closer to me.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"My statement, can I retract it?"

She nodded. "But I advise against it."

"I want to retract my statement," I said. "However, I will let you have it again _if_Crowley is off my case. I don't want him anywhere near it."

She handed me my statement. "Keep hold of this. I'll talk to my guys when I get back and see if we can make it happen. I'll see you again once I know, OK?"

"Thanks," I whispered softly.

She and James left once again, but this time when Crowley left I could see how pissed off he was. It was clear he just wanted to hit something, more than likely me. Why he would want on my case I didn't know. Maybe to find out details of why Lewis would want me so bad, to maybe find out anything he could on me. But it didn't matter what he wanted and why he needed to be on this case. The further away he was from me the better. Plus, it was a thrill to see the look on his face.

A few minutes after they left the team came back in. Dom came straight to me, Leon and Jesse sat on the end of the bed, Mia sat quietly in the corner, and Vince looked back at the door as he sat with her.

"Do I know that cop?" Dom asked.

"Which one?" I whispered.

"The one who came out last," he explained. "He looked really pissed off."

"Oh, yeah," I nodded. "He's the one who tricked me into setting you up."

"Wow, that was a long time ago," Leon breathed.

"Yeah, have you seen him since?" Vince asked.

"No, not since then."

"What did you do to piss him off?"

"Told the cops I wouldn't give my statement if he was on the case," I shrugged.

"Is that wise?" Jesse piped up. "What if he isn't kicked off and they can't send Lewis and that down?"

"We'll take it from there I guess," I sighed.

Dom gave me a sad smile and gently sat on the bed beside me. His arm wrapped around me and he kissed the top of my head as I leaned into him. He reached over and held the packet of grapes in his lap. I ate them quietly as I drew something on the drawing pad. While I did so he would point things out and give me pointers or suggestions.

As we drew and ate grapes the others talked around us. Dom would every so often kiss my temple and hold me closer for just a second before he relaxed beside me. It was comforting to be close to Dom. I could feel his breath on my cheek and his heart beat against my side. He was alive and I was alive. We were alive.

* * *

A/N: _Ah, so the next chapter is the last one. I really hope you enjoyed this one and the next one. It has already been written, I just need to check it and ensure that it's suitable to be uploaded._

R&R


	29. Chapter 29

_Six Months Later…_

Six months passed since that day Crowley walked back into my life. Rosa and James had come back a couple of days later with the news that Crowley was officially off my case. In return I gave them my statement as promised. A couple of days after that I was released from hospital for a few hours so that I could go to the station and pick the four of them out of a line up as precaution. Around two weeks later I was released from hospital on the grounds that I was to take my medication and rest. I was to come to various check-ups over the next few months to make sure I was doing fine and heading in the right direction.

Around about the same time I found out that Lewis, Carl, Mark and Gavin had all been sent down. Each got a different sentencing but all of them were going away for a very long time, meaning I was free from my past. When I found out I asked Dom to drive me to somewhere secluded so that I could plant a tree in Alex's memory. Things were looking good and as for Crowley… Well by time two months passed since he walked back into my life he was dealt with.

***flashback***

_"Crowley?" Vince asked._

_He whipped round as he reached his car and faced the bigger man. "Yes?"_

_"I'm a friend of Harper's," he informed._

_"Oh, let me guess," Crowley asked with a roll of his eyes. "You wanted to attempt to help her."_

_"No," Leon said as he came into view._

_"He didn't want to help her," Jesse added as he stepped forward._

_"We wanted to help," Dom corrected._

_"Fine," Crowley sighed. "So what?"_

_Vince pushed Crowley up against his car and Leon helped to hold him there. Jesse kept looking around, making sure no one happened to walk pass and see what was about to happen._

_Dom pointed a finger at Crowley. "You stay away from her"_

_"Or what?" Crowley hissed._

_Leon kneed him in the groin as Dom punched him in the face and Vince held him still. Dom repeated the warning again and every time Crowley didn't agree to it Dom punched him in the face again. He made sure to do it hard enough to cause pain but not too hard that it would cause any serious damage. It kept going until the fifth hit where Crowley shouted._

_"Stop! Ok… Stop. I'll leave her alone, alright? However, if she gets into trouble and I'm assigned to the case I will do my job."_

_"That's not what we want," Dom hissed._

_"What?" he yelled. "So you expect me not to do my job? I will do my job if she gets into trouble from this point on. But I will not deliberately drag up her past or going searching to bring her into trouble. It's the only way I can do it."_

_Eventually Dom, Vince, Leon and Jesse all agreed it was the best they were going to get. Dom threatened him once again and before they left he swung and punched him one last time. As Crowley fell to the floor Dom crouched down and whispered, "oh, and they're not your streets, they're mine."_

***end flashback***

That was the story Mia and I were told when the guys got home that night. I figured that it had been PG rated for us as I expected the real thing was a lot bloody and involved more swearing. However, since then Crowley hadn't bothered us so I figured it had done its job. Whenever we did see him he would give an annoyed look to us before continuing on his way. It was clear that he wanted more than anything to get rid of me.

Since then things with me and Dom got much better. I felt more comfortable with us and he even showed me off to people whenever he got the chance. He wasn't afraid to show his love for me, and he was patient while I tried my hardest to be more forward about it. To help with that he would treat me. And seen as I wasn't supposed to be out of bed for too long Dom would try to treat me in small ways. Sometimes we would watch movies or eat breakfast in bed. It varied but it was all very simple yet so very nice.

Things were perfect between us and I found myself falling more in love with him each day. Things became more stable and regular with Leon and I. He was my person, my best friend. The one I would always go to no matter what changed. Jesse, although he too was my best friend, was also like a little brother. Some things I just couldn't go to him about but I knew if I wanted to then I could. As for Vince we still teased each other and probably got on the least out of the team but we were better than we had ever been. Mia was the one I'd progressed with the most. We were closer than either of us could imagine, naturally there were things I could talk to her about better than the boys. She was like my little sister.

I changed just like the team and my relationships with them. I found myself becoming more confident like I used to be and more independent. Of course, I allowed myself to lean on the team a little more and I wasn't bottling things up as much as I had done in the past, but I was still my own person and able to hold my head above water. It felt like it had been a long time since I could do so and it made me realise that finding the team helped me to find myself. Not only was I confident like I was when I first met the team but I was happy and carefree like I was when I knew Alex for the first time.

Now things were perfect. The garage wasn't doing as well as it had been in the past but it was holding on. We got enough business to tie us over each month and I offered to work there full time for free like the others. We only got what we needed to have fun but Dom took out all the money we needed to pay bills and such first. The diner kept going, we made sure to get help for that and Mia made the decision to go to college and to attempt to become a nurse.

During the six months that passed I had my twentieth birthday. For it they all chipped in and bought me another 1967 Chevy Impala in black. There was no way I was getting my old one back so it was a dream come true to have a new one back in my life. It must have cost them a fortune but they refused to take it back.

So now I drove it around everywhere. Treating it better than I ever treated myself. I had my dream car, a fun job and a happy family.

"Hey," Dom whispered from the door. "You coming down or what?"

"Only if you tell me the surprise."

"I can't," he chuckled.

I got up and went over to him. "Please," I asked softly.

"It's sparkly and very expensive," he hinted.

He walked away and I started wide eyed after him. "What's sparkly and expensive, Dom?"

When he didn't reply I followed him, repeatedly asking the same thing. My mind wondered but my heart lept every time he chuckled in response to my frantic questioning.

* * *

_Ah, so it's the end. This story went beyond what I expected. It was only supposed to be about 15 chapters long but with planning and people actually seeming to take an interest it ended up at 29 chapters. Also, I left it as an open ending so if I chose to do a sequel then I will be able to do so. However, I want to finish my other two fics and plan out what fics I'm doing for this year so I won't know for sure if I am doing a sequel. However, I am thinking about it and I plan to put a list of up and coming stories for this year on my profile which should keep you guys informed._

I really hope you liked how it ended and I wanted to thank every single one of you. For you favourites, follows, reviews and of course for reading it, thank you so much.

_R&R_


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